Belgian prosecutors arrested at least four suspects, including a lawmaker, after raiding multiple properties across Brussels as part of what they called a “major investigation” into possible bribery of European Parliament officials by an unidentified gulf nation.
For several months, investigators of the Federal Judicial Police have suspected a gulf country of trying “to influence the economic and political decisions of the European Parliament,” the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Friday. Eva Kaili, a Greek lawmaker and a vice president of the European Parliament was arrested in connection with the probe, as well as Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian deputy, according to media reports.
Kaili’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment outside of normal business hours. The Socialists and Democrats group in the parliament suspended Kaili’s membership in response to the investigation. Fight Impunity, the non-governmental organization that Panzeri chairs, didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
