The Belgian investigation into alleged corruption and influence buying by Qatar and Morocco in the European Parliament has expanded, according to an international arrest warrant obtained by Politico.

MEPs Maria Arena and Alessandra Moretti are linked to an investigation by Belgian prosecutors following a warrant from Italian MEP Andrea Coccolino, who was arrested last week on charges of corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization. The warrant was issued on February 10 by Belgian investigator Michel Klis.

According to the document, Arena and Moretti were part of the group, along with Coccolino and Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, who was also arrested last week. The quartet, according to the warrant, carried out orders. former MEP Pier Antonio Pancheri, the alleged leader of the network operating in the European Parliament, who reached an agreement with the Belgian prosecutor’s office.

A peddling scandal rocked the EU capital after Belgian authorities ransacked homes and offices in December 2022 amid accusations that Qatar and Morocco were handing out money and gifts to win favor in the European Parliament. In the months that followed, the organization, which often advocates for the rule of law and anti-corruption issues, experienced a period of reflection as its leaders tried to distance themselves from those involved and push through reforms.

The drama focuses on the inner workings of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the group to which the MEPs involved belonged. The S&D ousted Tarabella, Coccolino and former Parliament Vice Speaker Eva Kaili and responded in January with its own anti-corruption and transparency plan.

Degree of penetration into the European Parliament

The warrant seen by Politico sheds light on the extent to which the corrupt network has allegedly infiltrated the European Parliament.

One example cited in the warrant says Arena and Moretti acted on instructions from Panzeri during a meeting over a possible parliamentary resolution on Qatar in late 2021. Panzeri, who at that time was no longer a member of the European Parliament and was not present at the meeting itself, he instructed his former assistant, seeking to influence a possible decision.

The plan and the identities of the members of the so-called “Group of Four” were revealed in messages sent to Panzeri by his former assistant, Giuseppe Meroni, who was still on the S&D team at the time, according to the warrant. Last month, Pancheri struck a deal with Belgian prosecutors to share information to reduce his sentence.

“Qatar is settled,” Meroni said in a message to his former boss, according to the warrant. After the meeting, Panzeri was informed of what had happened by Arena, as well as by Francesco Giorgi, also his former assistant, who was then working for Coccolino. Georgie is the partner of Kyle, the imprisoned ex-VP of the European Parliament, although he is also now in prison.

“I can only say that this was a legitimate exchange of information as part of normal parliamentary political activity,” Meroni said in response to a Politico request for comment.

Moretti, the MEP named on the warrant seen by Politico, denied the allegations. “I have never followed Mr. Pancheri’s instructions in my political activities, no resolution was discussed in December 2021.”

Unlike in the cases of Coccolino and Tarabella, the authorities did not ask the European Parliament to lift the immunity of Arena and Moretti, which is necessary to investigate or bring charges against them. Arena declined to comment.

She came under scrutiny for a trip to Doha in May 2022 after failing to reveal in time that the Qatari government had paid for her transportation and accommodation. Last month, Arena resigned as chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee on human rights, a position he succeeded Pancheri. Meanwhile, Moretti on January 17 this year announced a fully paid trip to Qatar, which took place in February 2020.

Morocco in the frame against the backdrop of the Pegasus scandal

The warrant also highlights Morocco’s alleged role in the influence scandal.

The document says that in the tapped conversation, Pancheri and Giorgi discussed advancing Moroccan interests by including Coccolino or Kylie on a special parliamentary committee investigating the use of Pegasus spyware to hack into the phones of journalists, activists and politicians. Morocco, according to media reports, may have used spyware to hack the Spanish government.

Coccolino and Kylie became members of the committee, although they have now lost those roles.

Coccolino, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, declined to comment.

Giorgi also succeeded in preventing Parliament from passing a text unfavorable to Morocco and reported this to Pancheri in May 2022, according to a warrant.

The arrest warrant names two Moroccans deemed critical to the allegedly corrupt network: spy Mohamed Belaretz, codenamed M118, briefly known to European intelligence agencies, and Abderrahim Atmoun, Rabat’s ambassador to Warsaw.

According to the warrant, Atmun “played an important role” in the distribution of the cash and is believed to have “worked closely” with Moroccan intelligence and was associated with Bellarech.

Atmun and Bellarets did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Connection with Western Sahara

According to the warrant, Morocco also tried to influence the position of the European Parliament on the controversial issue of Western Sahara. The disputed territory is a former Spanish colony that has been claimed for decades by both Morocco and the independence rebellion.

Spain, long neutral in the ongoing conflict, reversed course last year, backing Rabat’s plan for limited autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan rule. The move follows a year of rising tensions between Madrid and Rabat after a rebel leader was allowed to travel to a Spanish hospital for treatment.

The Belgian arrest warrant states that Coccolino released a statement at the request of Atmun and Pancheri in March 2022 advocating a change in Spain’s position on Western Sahara.

Source: Politico