tommytwojags
Well-known member
The alleged fraudulent activities of European Parliament members have prised open the dark cupboard of corruption hidden not so deeply by the Commission for many years. Now the corruption scandal at the heart of the institution has widened further and seriously threatens the Parliament’s future.
Police in Belgium are currently investigating what may turn out to be the most damning case of political corruption since Watergate. EC Vice-President Eva Kaili and three others are being detained in prison in Brussels after having been arrested on bribery charges and are facing allegations of shady dealings with Qatar, but this appears to be merely the tip of the EC fraud iceberg.
The allegation basically is that a Middle Eastern state used money and gifts to influence European Parliament decisions. It goes without saying that this charge questions the whole credibility of the Parliament as a political unit. The charges are as serious as it is possible to get, namely that senior EU political operatives have been bought off.
Investigators suspect that a Gulf state has been trying to influence economic and political decisions of the parliament for several months, according to a statement from the Belgian federal prosecutor. The state, now named by Belgium as Qatar, has been accused of targeting aides at the Parliament by paying large sums of money or offering gifts to third parties with a significant political and/or strategic position within the European Parliament. This investigation is part of a wider one into criminal organisation, corruption and money laundering in the EC.
This raises serious questions about the whole governance of the EU. What other matters have been decided by the bribery of MEPs? How long has this corruption been going on? How many EU decisions have been bought by third parties?
The drunken habits of European parliamentarians have already been exposed in the latest setback for an organisation plagued by corruption. Andre Gattolin, a member of the Council of Europe spoke out against the drinking culture in the European Parliament, suggesting it was symptomatic of a group of politicians supposedly willing to take bribes from foreign powers in exchange for promoting their economic interests. Gattolin reported that every week MEPs are presented with free drinks and gifts from sponsors and that relations between corporate entities and parliamentarians were common.
It is now emerging that MEPs have been visiting Qatar on a more than regular basis since the World Cup was surprisingly awarded to that state and that many had been offered World Cup tickets and luxurious trips in exchange for softening their criticism of the Qatari leadership. The relationship between MEPs and Qatari officials is believed to have grown problematic over the need to find alternative gas and oil suppliers in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Agreements have been reached between EU states and Qatar for such supplies. The Brussels lobbying watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory stated that “The EU and a number of member state governments have clearly courted the Qatari regime to secure higher imports of gas and oil."
In the lead up to the Brexit vote, warnings were given about corruption and favouritism shown by the European Commission. We knew this was the case but until now there has been no attempt to take the perpetrators to account for fear of opening a can of worms. Let’s hope this can is now opened wide so everyone will be able to see what’s in there.
www.politico.eu
Police in Belgium are currently investigating what may turn out to be the most damning case of political corruption since Watergate. EC Vice-President Eva Kaili and three others are being detained in prison in Brussels after having been arrested on bribery charges and are facing allegations of shady dealings with Qatar, but this appears to be merely the tip of the EC fraud iceberg.
The allegation basically is that a Middle Eastern state used money and gifts to influence European Parliament decisions. It goes without saying that this charge questions the whole credibility of the Parliament as a political unit. The charges are as serious as it is possible to get, namely that senior EU political operatives have been bought off.
Investigators suspect that a Gulf state has been trying to influence economic and political decisions of the parliament for several months, according to a statement from the Belgian federal prosecutor. The state, now named by Belgium as Qatar, has been accused of targeting aides at the Parliament by paying large sums of money or offering gifts to third parties with a significant political and/or strategic position within the European Parliament. This investigation is part of a wider one into criminal organisation, corruption and money laundering in the EC.
This raises serious questions about the whole governance of the EU. What other matters have been decided by the bribery of MEPs? How long has this corruption been going on? How many EU decisions have been bought by third parties?
The drunken habits of European parliamentarians have already been exposed in the latest setback for an organisation plagued by corruption. Andre Gattolin, a member of the Council of Europe spoke out against the drinking culture in the European Parliament, suggesting it was symptomatic of a group of politicians supposedly willing to take bribes from foreign powers in exchange for promoting their economic interests. Gattolin reported that every week MEPs are presented with free drinks and gifts from sponsors and that relations between corporate entities and parliamentarians were common.
It is now emerging that MEPs have been visiting Qatar on a more than regular basis since the World Cup was surprisingly awarded to that state and that many had been offered World Cup tickets and luxurious trips in exchange for softening their criticism of the Qatari leadership. The relationship between MEPs and Qatari officials is believed to have grown problematic over the need to find alternative gas and oil suppliers in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Agreements have been reached between EU states and Qatar for such supplies. The Brussels lobbying watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory stated that “The EU and a number of member state governments have clearly courted the Qatari regime to secure higher imports of gas and oil."
In the lead up to the Brexit vote, warnings were given about corruption and favouritism shown by the European Commission. We knew this was the case but until now there has been no attempt to take the perpetrators to account for fear of opening a can of worms. Let’s hope this can is now opened wide so everyone will be able to see what’s in there.
EU’s Qatar corruption scandal brings French links under scrutiny
French lawmakers have questioned the country’s lobbying rules in light of the EU scandal.
www.politico.eu
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