Belgian prosecutors have charged four people with corruption, money laundering, and participating in a criminal organization.
European Parliament Becomes Focus of Corruption Scandal
Belgian prosecutors charged four individuals on Sunday for their alleged involvement in a suspected Qatari bribery campaign to influence the European Parliament in a scandal that has rattled European nations.
The four people, who were not named, were accused of corruption, money laundering, and participating in a criminal organization. Sunday’s charges mark the latest turn in a lengthy investigation that publicly unfolded on Friday, when authorities raided 16 homes—uncovering $631,800 in cash—and brought six people in for questioning. Two were later released.
Investigators “have suspected a Gulf country to influence the economic and political decisions of the European Parliament,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “This is done so by paying large sums of money or offering large gifts to third parties with a significant political and/or strategic position within the European Parliament.”
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Source: https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/12/12/eu-parliament-qatar-corruption-belgium-investigation/
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