The Cherifian kingdom would also have tried to infiltrate the European Parliament. Searches have been carried out in Italy.
by Allan Kaval (Rome, correspondent) and Jean-Pierre Stroobants (Brussels, European office)
Three of the four people arrested in the context of “Qatargate”, the investigation into a corruption and money laundering affecting members of the European Parliament, appeared on Wednesday December 14, before the Brussels Council Chamber, called to rule on their maintenance in detention. The ex-Italian socialist transputes Pier Antonio Panzeri and his former assistant Francesco Giorgi saw their maintenance in confirmed pre-trial detention for a month.
m. Giorgi, companion of the former vice -president of Parliament Eva Kaili -she also arrested, she asked not to appear until December 22 -, confessed on Thursday morning the daily La Repubblica and in the evening. He admitted to being part of an organization working for Qatar, but also Morocco. He would also have denounced the role of the Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, with whom a search was carried out on Saturday, and who denies having played any role. M Kaili supports that she was unaware of the funds found at her house and in a suitcase carried by her father. The fourth accused, Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, leader of the NGO No Peace Without Justice, is placed under electronic surveillance and remains indicted.
The involvement of Morocco in the scandal was confirmed in half-word on Wednesday by the Belgian Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne. He said that state security – the intelligence service – had worked with “foreign partners” to support suspicions of corruption “by different countries”. Initially, the investigation today questioning Qatar would actually have concerned Morocco. The Minister did not cite it namely, but he implied that this country would have tried to influence fishery rights negotiated between Rabat and the European Union (EU) as well as the management of Muslim worship in Belgium .
Gift transport
At the heart of what is now the Moroccan part of the file is again Pier Antonio Panzeri. An arrest warrant transmitted to Italian justice mentioned transport by the woman and the daughter of Mr. Panzeri of gifts from Morocco, provided by the current Moroccan ambassador to Poland, Abderrahim Atmoun. He was often photographed in the company of Mr. Panzeri, which he designated as his “friend”.
The ex-deputy wife, Maria Colleoni, and her daughter, Silvia Panzeri, were placed at the home stops in Italy. Family residences in Milan and Calusco d’Adda, near Bergamo, were searched. Computer equipment, documents and 17,000 euros in cash were seized. Controls on current accounts and family heritage, but also on those of Francesco Giorgi, have been operated.
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