European Parliament vice-president arrested on corruption charges
Voltaire NetworkNov 25, 2022
The Facts
Belgian authorities on Sunday announced they had charged four people with corruption, money laundering, and participation in a criminal organization as part of a major investigation into alleged bribes from "a Gulf state" to current and former members of the European Parliament.
Prosecutors searched 16 houses and confiscated 600K euros ($631.8K) in Brussels on Friday, with six people being initially detained and two released without charges. A source close to the case alleged that the "Gulf state" trying to meddle in EU decisions is Qatar.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
While this may be the most blatant and grand corruption scheme to hit the European Parliament to date, it shouldn't come as a surprise. The Parliament is in charge of not only policing the EU but of monitoring itself, which is why they have yet to create the ethics board they voted to approve over a year ago. Maybe this outrageous international fraud scandal will finally encourage the EU "watchdogs" to fulfill their ethical duties.
Pro-establishment narrative
This news is sickening to those who care about the integrity of Europe's institutions, which is why the EU has suspended Kaili from her duties and is thoroughly investigating the matter. Ministers are working diligently to broker deals with rising nations like Qatar, but that doesn't mean they'll allow such a blatant disregard for the rules to go unpunished. Anti-corruption measures will be implemented.
