Red Tape Delays Extradition of Qatargate Suspects

The Qatargate investigation is being impeded by legal snags between Italy and Belgium. Italy is hesitating to extradite two key suspects, meaning Belgium cannot proceed with its investigation. As a result, one of Europe's most important corruption cases may be jeopardised because of legal technicalities.

According to a report from Politico, the two suspects in question are socialist MEP Andrea Cozzolino and Monica Bellini. Bellini is an accountant accused of being the chief money launderer for former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri who took a plea deal leading to their arrests. The suspected instrument for laundering was Bellini's Milan-based Equality Consultancy, a non-governmental organisation.

Italian judges and lawyers are arguing that they cannot extradite the two because the Belgian arrest warrants are "too vague." On Tuesday, March 14th, judges in Naples postponed a ruling on handing over Cozzolino, who is under house arrest, until his next extradition hearing on April 11th .  The defendant's lawyers argued that the move to a Belgian prison may endanger his health, as the MEP has a heart condition. They said the Belgian request was too filled with "formal, apparent and generic replies which do not correspond to the queries relating to Cozzolino's particular case and his disease." 

Bellini has had her extradition request postponed twice by the Milanese court, on the grounds that Belgium has not sent over enough evidence. Her next extradition hearing is scheduled for May 9th.  Italian police cannot investigate the pair because the case is Belgian, and in the EU, people can't be prosecuted in two countries for the same crime.

Italian investigators are working around this by investigating people surrounding Bellini and her Equality Consultancy.

However, they are still heavily hamstrung as they must avoid infringing too directly on the Belgian probe.

With no clear date set by Belgium for the trials, the delayed extradition requests mean that Europe will now have to wait even longer for the accused to be brought to justice.