Court Extends Pretrial Detention Of Suspects In EU Parliament Corruption Case - Reports

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2023) A court in Brussels has extended the pretrial detention of Eva Kaili, the former vice president of the European Parliament, and its ex-member, Antonio Panzeri, both accused of money laundering, for two more months, media reported on Thursday.

At the same time, the court is yet to rule on the extension of custody of the third suspect, Belgian member of the European Parliament, Marc Tarabella, LeSoir newspaper reported.

In January, the Belgian court ruled that Kaili should remain in custody, saying that there were high risks of the suspect escaping and colluding with third parties.

In December 2022, Belgian authorities carried out several arrests and searches in Brussels in connection with the investigation into allegations of corruption in the European Parliament associated with the holding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and illicit lobbying in favor of the Gulf monarchy and Morocco.

In particular, European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili and her partner were detained and their residence was searched. Kaili was removed from her post and was expelled from her political party in Greece. Belgian law enforcement officers reportedly seized over 1.5 million Euros ($1.6 million) in cash during the searches.