Eva Kaili, orator of cryptocurrency & NFTs arrested by Belgian Police

SNEAK PEEK

  • Amid complaints of lobbying by Qatar, Kaili, who participated extensively in discussions about cryptocurrencies and NFTs in the European Parliament, was expelled from her party.
  • Kaili, one of the 14 vice presidents of the parliament, was one of four people detained and prosecuted in Belgium in relation to the scandal that has outraged Brussels and threatens to harm the reputation of the European Union.
  • With only one vote against it and two abstentions, 625 MEPs voted in favor of the measure to sever ties with Kaili.

Kaili, a 44-year-old socialist MEP, was one of a group of young, aspiring Greek politicians. She rose to prominence during the crippling fiscal crisis that gripped Greece from 2010 to 2015, when the nation needed three foreign bailouts.

Kaili was one of four people charged in Belgium as part of a corruption investigation connected to lobbying by Qatar. She may lose her position as vice president of the European Parliament after actively participating in efforts to regulate cryptocurrency in the 27-nation bloc.

The case, in which investigators found piles of cash, puts doubt on the European Parliament, which aspires to be a moral compass, denouncing human rights violations around the world and confronting EU countries over any indication of impropriety.

Any misconduct has been refuted by Qatar. With 625 votes in favor, one against, and two abstentions, the parliament moved swiftly to sever ties with Kaili.

“She has no explicit or ambiguous connection to funding from Qatar,” said Dimitrakopoulos to Open TV in his first interview with the media.

The credibility of the 27-nation union, according to a number of EU states, including Germany, was in jeopardy. The assembly has come under fire from several nations, notably EU member Hungary, who claimed it had lost the moral high ground.

Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister of Hungary, posted on Facebook that the European Parliament “will no longer be able to speak against corruption in a legitimate manner.”

Belgian police searched 19 residences and the parliament’s offices as part of their investigation. They took computers, mobile phones, and cash, some of which were discovered in a suitcase in a hotel room.

Although the identities of the four accused have not been publicly revealed, Kaili’s name was quickly leaked to the media.

Belgian prosecutors claimed they had been worried about a Gulf state trying to buy influence in Brussels for more than four months. Prosecutors would not publicly identify the country, but a source familiar with the investigation claimed it was Qatar.

Several European legislators demanded Kaili resign. The co-chair of the Left group in the European Parliament, Manon Aubry, stated, “Given the scope of the corruption scandal, it is the least we could expect of her.”

Manfred Weber, a member of the People’s Party in conservative Europe, said: “Our European Parliamentary colleagues are really shocked.” “These changes have a significant weight.”  As the Greek socialist PASOK party said it would dismiss Kaili from its ranks, the Greek government froze her assets in her native country.