The corruption case surrounding Eva Kaili has shaken the EU. The suspended parliamentary vice president is said to have been bribed by Qatar. The desert state defends itself against the allegations. And threatens the EU with “negative effects”.
After the allegations against Qatar in the corruption scandal involving the EU Parliament, Doha has rejected the allegations and warned of negative effects on gas supplies. The possible suspension of Qatar’s access to the EU Parliament is “discriminatory” and will “negatively” affect relations and gas supplies, an unspecified Qatari diplomat said in a statement.
“We firmly reject allegations that our government has been linked to wrongdoing,” it said. Qatar is not the only country named in the investigation, but only the Gulf State has been criticized and attacked.
The decision to block Qatar’s access to the European Parliament “will have a negative impact on regional and global security cooperation and on ongoing talks on global energy shortages and security,” the statement said. As a result of the Ukraine war and the associated energy shortages, Qatar’s global importance as a gas supplier has grown significantly in recent months.
The EU Parliament has been rocked by a corruption scandal for over a week. Several suspects were arrested, with at least 1.5 million euros in cash found. The investigations initiated by the Belgian public prosecutor’s office are aimed in particular at Eva Kaili, who has since been deposed as EU Vice President of Parliament. She is suspected of having been paid by Qatar to defend the interests of the Gulf state.
On Thursday, a large majority of MEPs voted in favor of suspending access rights for Qatari lobbyists for the duration of the investigation. The final decision rests with Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola.
Metsola told Funke Mediengruppe newspapers that she had “a clear message for all the bad actors in third countries who think they can use money to get their way.” Parliament will stand in their way.
“We will start a reform process to look at who has access to our premises, how these organizations and individuals are funded and what links they have with third countries,” she told the Funke newspapers. The reform package that she will put together in the new year concerns the protection of whistleblowers, compliance with the code of conduct and relations with third countries. “Parliament is on the side of the law, and those responsible for these crimes will see that,” Metsola said.
