Suspension of any legislative project related to Qatar he asked in the background Cathargate– European Parliamentwith EK President Roberta Metzola to announce a broad package of reforms to ensure transparency and accountability.

At the same time, a criminal investigation was authorized in Greece by the financial prosecutor’s office. Eva Kyliewhose husband, according to the Italian and Belgian press, admitted his involvement in the case, demanding the release of his wife.

Cathargate: Francesco Giorgi confesses

According to the newspapers Le Soir and La Repubblica, during yesterday’s hearing, Francesco Giorgi, Eva Kylie’s husband, confessed before the head of the investigation, prosecutor for corruption Michel Klezthat he was a member of an organization that had links to both Morocco and Qatar to influence their relations with Europe. He claimed that former MEP Pier Antonio Pancheri headed this “organization”.

The Italian Repubblica reported that “Giorgi collapsed in front of the prosecutor, confessed to illegal activities and apologized.” In fact, he reportedly requested the release of his wife, Eva Kylie.

“He should be close to our daughter,” he said, according to the Italian publication. It is reminded that the decision on the Greek MEP will be made on December 22.

As for his reasons for participating, Giorgi, 35, reportedly said simply, “I did it for the money I didn’t need.”

However, P. Pancheri’s lawyer Laurent Kens, when asked by Soir, replied that he “does not have this information” and denounces the “violation of privacy” in court documents to which no one should have access.

What other faces does George show?

Giorgi’s confessions are said to have “burned” two still-serving MEPs belonging to a group of European socialists: the Belgian Marc Tarabella, whose house was searched by the Belgian police in the presence of the President of the European Parliament himself, and an Italian. Andrea Cosolino, for whom Giorgi worked as an assistant.

MEP Tarabella denies all accusations. His lawyer told Le Soir that his client “does not intend to comment on the alleged elements of the investigation”, that he “has never received the slightest offer or sum of money from anyone” and that he remains at the disposal of justice. For his part, MEP Cozzolino declined to answer the question whether he received gifts or money.

Finally, regarding Belgian MEP Marie Arena, Giorgi reportedly stated that he believed in her integrity and did not know if she received money from Panzeri.

Eva Kylie: “I will not become Iphigenia,” she declares through her lawyer.

For her part, Eva Kylie insists on denying any involvement in the money found in her home, placing all responsibility on her husband, Francesco Giorgi. According to Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, the lawyer for Eva Kaili and other members of her family, the MEP still maintains that the money found in her house does not belong to her.

“She allegedly has no involvement in the money found, except that she herself was in the house where the money was found,” he said. “Long-term surveillance shows that he allegedly has nothing to do with money or that he had suspicious conversations,” ANT1’s lawyer said in the morning.

“Giorgi brought the money home”

Ms Kylie still claims that her husband brought 600,000 euros to their house in Brussels. “The money is not hers, it belongs to a person outside of Ms Kylie’s family and her father took it to the hotel to be picked up by the real owner. This money, 600,000 euros, the partner of Mrs. Kailis had to transfer them to the real owner. Her partner was the one who brought the money home.”

“Eva Kylie, when she noticed the money, asked what it was, and did not receive a convincing answer about its origin, which is why she immediately asked them to leave the house. Her father took over as the ferryman because there was no one else. He took them to take them to the owner, but the police caught up with him. It was her father who told the authorities and they let him go,” the lawyer said. In fact, Mr. Dimitrakopoulos claimed that Mr. Ghiorzi himself confirmed Ms. Kylie’s words about money.

Eva Kylie resignation letter

At the same time, the lawyer for Eva Kylie and her family noted that the Cathargate scandal was preceded by months of surveillance and there is no audio or video recording of Eva Kylie. “The suitcase of money in her house has nothing to do with the claims about Qatar,” he said.

“All actions and initiatives of Mrs. Kylie have been approved by the European Parliament. There was no personal agenda for Ms. Kailis, everything was a political decision of the European Council and the Commission, and not just the European Parliament and Ms. Metsolas,” said Mr. Dimitrakopoulos.

He also relayed Eva Kylie’s statement regarding her expulsion and removal from the position of Vice-President of the European Parliament: “She said that” if I were president, I would do the same until the matter is cleared up “.

Regarding the apartment in Psychiko near the Qatari embassy, ​​which Ms Kylie bought at a price well below its market value, Mr Dimitrakopoulos cited a statement from its previous owner about the low transfer price, who reportedly said: “I have been trying for 8 years sell it, it’s on Kifisias, no one bought it.”

Regarding the absence of Eva Kaili on Wednesday at the Brussels Judicial Council, she said that there was a misunderstanding with the workers’ strike, as she was notified that she could not be transferred to her and at the last moment she said that she was being transferred. In closing, Eva Kylie’s lawyer stated that the MEP told him that “she will not allow Iphigenia to become”.

Criminal investigation in Greece also

Initiation of a criminal case against Eva Kaili in Greece was entrusted to the Economic Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation was entrusted to the head of the Economic Prosecutor’s Office, appellate prosecutor Christos Bardakis, for crimes such as money laundering and bribery.

The financial prosecutor’s office has already demanded immediate cooperation from the Belgian authorities in order to have a complete understanding of the content of the case formed there. The criminal preliminary investigation in Greece will mainly deal with acts and offenses for which the Belgian authorities have not yet taken action, since the principle of double criminality, as it is called in legal terms, applies when a citizen cannot be prosecuted twice for exactly the same thing. .

However, based on the request of the financial prosecutor’s office to conduct an investigation in Greece, the preliminary criminal investigation will move to the acquisition of assets from the MEP and close monitoring of every economic activity.

Indeed, since the beginning of the week, the Office for Combating Money Laundering, headed by the Honorary Deputy Prosecutor of the Supreme Court Charalambos Vourliotis, has begun a total seizure of all assets of the MEP, her partner and immediate family.

Due diligence is already being carried out in all credit institutions to identify and investigate accounts, movements, safe deposit boxes or other financial products, as well as in land registry offices for real estate and so on. The investigation by the economic prosecutor’s office will be led by two assistant prosecutors, Mr. Bardakis.

A broad package of reforms in E.K. – Work related to Qatar is suspended

In this context, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, has announced a wide-ranging reform package that will include stronger EU protection, a ban on all informal friendship groups, a revision of the code of conduct, controls and “an absolute and in-depth study of interactions with third countries.”

At the same time, the European Parliament called for a temporary door to be closed to any representative of Qatari interests and decided to suspend all legislative work related to the emirate at the end of a turbulent week due to a corruption scandal affecting the European institution. .

Almost unanimously (541 votes in favour, two votes against and three abstentions), MEPs “deeply saddened” by these alleged corrupt practices call for “strong suspension of Qatari lobbyists’ access rights” pending judicial inquiries. Then the decision should be made by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola.