Corruption is Everywhere > Allegedly Crooked MEPs all released to house-arrest in Brussels

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EU Parliament VP Eva Kaili leaves prison for house arrest in Belgium

By Clyde Hughes

Former Vice President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili was moved to house arrest from prison Thursday.

File Photo by Jalal Morchidi/EPA-EFE

April 13 (UPI) -- Eva Kaili, the former high-ranking European Parliament officer who was arrested in connection with a political bribery scheme in December was moved from prison to house arrest by Belgium authorities as her case makes it through the courts.

Kaili's lawyer, Sven Mary, said that she was placed under electronic monitoring and would return home.

"I will not give more commentary, besides the fact that this is a logical decision that took too long to be taken," said Mary.

Kaili, 44, was the last of the individuals arrested to be moved to electronic surveillance house arrest.

In December, a court denied her lawyer's requests to release her from jail before Christmas.

Mary told Euronews in an interview that investigators failed to find new evidence in the case against Kaili and accused the prosecutor's office of holding her as a "trophy."

"Ms. Kaili is lifted as a symbol to say: 'Even if you hold high office, you will remain in prison.' And this is made especially to say to the other lawmakers: 'Do not commit corruption because you will go to prison for a long time," Mary said.

Francesco Giorgi, Kaili's husband who was also arrested as part of the allegations, was among those released earlier and placed under house arrest.

The alleged ringleader of the scheme, former Italian Parliament member Pier Panzeri, Panzeri reportedly reached a plea deal in January.

Kaili was representing Greece and serving as vice president of the European Parliament, was caught up in an alleged cash-for-influence scheme to win favors for Qatar and Morocco in the body. Kaili, the countries and others arrested as part of the investigation have denied all of the charges.

At the time of Kaili's arrest, the so-called Qatar-gate scandal was considered one of the largest corruption investigations in the history of the European Parliament. She was charged in connection with illegal lobbying, and exposed in an organized sting by Belgian authorities investigating corruption, money laundering, and foreign influence peddling.

Kaili was swiftly booted out of her vice president's position and the European Parliament in a rare expulsion vote but remains a non-attached MEP.