European parliament may ban Qatari officials from premises

Roberta Metsola said of the scandal: ‘There will be no immunity, no sweeping things under the carpet.’ Photograph: Johanna Geron/Reuters

The European parliament will consider banning Qatari officials from its premises in response to a “cash for influence” investigation that has become the biggest scandal in the institution’s history.

The parliament’s president, Roberta Metsola, said the assembly’s senior leaders would discuss a possible ban and that a “wide-ranging reform” package would be implemented in response to a Belgian police investigation that has led to four people being charged with money laundering and corruption, including a serving MEP.