The European Parliament announced on Monday that it had launched an emergency procedure at the request of Belgian judicial authorities to lift the immunity of two MEPs in connection with a corruption investigation involving Qatar, reports AFP.

We are talking about two members of the European Parliament – the Italian Andrea Cozzolino and the Belgian Marc Tarabella, both members of the S&D (social democrats) group, sources close to the case said.

Both appear in the investigation, which led to the arrest by Belgian investigators on December 9 of the institution’s vice-president, the Greek Socialist MP Ev Kaili.

Among those arrested are her Italian partner Francesco Giorgi, who is also Cozzolino’s parliamentary aide, former Italian Socialist MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri and NGO leader Niccolo Figa-Talamanca.

All four were charged with “membership of a criminal organisation”, “money laundering” and “corruption” in a scandal that has rocked the European Parliament and fueled tensions between Qatar and the EU.

Kylie did not enjoy parliamentary immunity, as the crime was revealed in flagrante delicto when “bags of money” were found in his apartment. On December 13, she was removed from the post of vice-president of the European Parliament by an almost unanimous vote of MEPs.

In Belgium, the investigation led to twenty searches between December 9 and 12, including the European Parliament. According to a court source, Mark Tarabella’s home was searched on December 10.