EU Parliament Ex-Member Suspected Of Corruption Inked Deal With Qatar In 2018 - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2023) Former member of the European Parliament Antonio Panzeri, detained under a corruption case linked to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, signed a semi-official deal with a Qatari government committee in 2018, the Politico newspaper reported on Friday.

Panzeri, who headed the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights at the time, signed a relevant agreement with Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, then-head of Qatar's National Human Rights Committee, during a meeting in Brussels on April 26, 2018, according to the document seen by Politico.

The deal reportedly laid the foundation for a long-term cooperation, including conferences, business class trips and accommodation, sponsored by Qatar.

At the same time, the text of the agreement has never gone through formal revision or approval, which makes it officially non-existent, the report said.

A representative of the European Parliament's press services told Politico that the institution had "no official knowledge of the document" the news outlet referred to.

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. Belgian law enforcement officers reportedly seized over 1.5 million Euros ($1.6 million) in cash during the searches.