Belgian MEP Mark Tarabella, who was stripped of parliamentary immunity eight days ago, was detained on Friday morning as part of an investigation by Belgian justice into suspected corruption in the European Parliament involving Qatar and Morocco, AFP reports.

According to a spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the 59-year-old elected socialist, who lives in the Liège region (eastern region), was taken for questioning to the headquarters of the federal judicial police in Brussels.

At the end of this temporary detention, which cannot exceed 48 hours, he can be presented to the investigating judge who is conducting the investigation.

In parallel with his arrest, several offices of the town hall in Antisna, where Tarabella is the mayor, were searched, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said. Another search also targeted a “bank safe in Liège” belonging to him.

Three people have now been arrested in this case, including the Greek MEP Eva Kaili, who was dismissed from the position of vice-president of the European Parliament in December.

The other two are the latter’s partner, in this case parliamentary assistant Francesco Giorgi, and former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, also Italian.

Pier Antonio Panzeri, the key suspect in the case, who admitted to having orchestrated this intervention by several foreign powers in European politics, has identified Mark Tarabella as complicit in the investigation.

According to Belgian media, the Italian said in December that he had paid the Belgian MEP “between 120,000 and 140,000 euros” several times for his help in matters related to Qatar.

In Brussels, they seized €1.5 million in cash during several raids in December, notably at the residences of Pier Antonio Panzeri and Eva Kylie.

Tarabella denied receiving “money or gifts in exchange for his political views.” The authorities of Qatar and Morocco also deny these allegations of corruption.

Another member of the European Parliament, the Italian Andrea Cozzolino, was under the crosshairs of the judge conducting the investigation. His parliamentary immunity was removed at the same time as Tarabella’s parliamentary immunity, on February 2, by voting at the plenary session of the single EU institution elected by direct vote of citizens.

That day in Brussels, Mark Tarabella himself voted for the removal of immunity, saying that he was ready to answer the questions of the investigators. (Agerpress)