Eva Kaili denies receiving cash from Qatar as EU corruption row grows

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An MEP identified as a key suspect in a possible money laundering and corruption scandal that has rocked the European Union has denied receiving money from a Gulf State. Breaking her silence through a lawyer's statement, Eva Kaili, a vice president of EU parliament and one of four people arrested and charged in Belgium at the weekend, denied allegations that Qatar had lavished her with cash and gifts to influence decision-making.

"Her position is that she is innocent, I can tell you that," Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, a lawyer representing Ms Kaili, told Open TV. "She has nothing to do with financing from Qatar, nothing - explicitly and unequivocally. That is her position," Dimitrakopoulos said.

He added that Kaili had "undertaken no commercial activity in her life". It comes after Greece froze Ms Kaili's assets on Monday, while the European Parliament suspended her from her duties. On Tuesday, European parliament leaders decided unanimously that Ms Kaili should be stripped of her role as vice president.

The parliament acted quickly to loosen ties with Ms Kaili, with 625 MEPs voting in favour of the move, only one against and two abstaining. World Cup host Qatar has categorically rejected accusations of any wrongdoing. "Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed," a Doha official said at the weekend.

A handout photo made available by Belgium Parquet Federal showing 1.5 million euro found by police in Brussels

(EPA)

Ms Kaili's denial came as Belgian investigators descended on the parliament's headquarters in Brussels to search offices as president Roberta Metsola warned MEPs that "democracy is under attack".

The search was the 20th carried out since Friday. Belgian police on Tuesday showed 1.5 million euros (GBP1.3m) it had seized as part of their raids. Sixteen raids have been conducted by police.

There were claims of large sums of money being found in a suitcase in a Brussels hotel room as well as in a flat. Two MEPs' homes were also searched. Aside from Ms Kaili, it is understood that at least three of those detained by authorities were either Italian citizens or originally came from Italy.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called the accusations of corruption "very serious" and called for a new ethics body to be established to oversee the EU parliament. Ms Metsola vowed to restore integrity to the parliament's integrity. "European democracy is under attack and our free and democratic societies are under attack," she said. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said the allegations amounted to "an unbelievable incident which has to be cleared up completely with the full force of law.

"This is about the credibility of Europe," she added.