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Belgian police raid fourth MEP’s house in connection to Qatargate – JURIST

Authorities raided the home of Belgian Socialist Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Maria Arena on Wednesday as part of the ongoing “Qatargate” investigations that have rocked the European Parliament since they began in 2022.Arena made a statement through her attorney confirming the search and denying any wrongdoing. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed the search in a statement to Belgian media, saying, “Documents and ICT equipment were in particular seized and will be analyzed.” A spokesperson for the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola told Politico:I can confirm that the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola was present, as per her obligations under the Belgian Constitution…While the presumption of innocence of all parties is always respected, as the president has made clear on numerous occasions, the Parliament has and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and judicial authorities in different Member States and jurisdictions, to the fullest extent possible, in an effort to ensure justice is served and the truth is known.Arena is the fourth sitting MEP to be implicated in the bribery scandal which began last year, following MEPs Marc Tarabella, Andrea Cozzolino and Eva Kaili. Former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri struck a plea deal back in January in which he acknowledged “having participated in acts of corruption” and “being the leader or one of the leaders of the criminal organization.”Arena had resigned from her position as Chair of the Human Rights Sub-Committee (DROI) earlier this year following a Politico investigation into the committee, which detailed an all-expenses paid trip to Qatar which Arena did not disclose. Arena had inherited her position as Chair from Panzeri following his admission of guilt.Additionally, the Belgian paper Le Soir Wednesday published excerpts from an Excel spreadsheet authored by Francesco Giorgi, who was previously a parliamentary assistant to Panzeri. The document details lobbying conducted by Giorgi, Panzeri and others, who worked to steer European Parliament legislation in directions favorable to the Qatari, Moroccan and Mauritanian governments. One such lobbying effort was labeled “Neutralised the attempt to table an urgency resolution Qatar (migrant workers).” The ongoing allegations have sparked a series of reforms in the European Parliament, with Metsola stating, “We will strengthen our systems, address any shortcomings and be honest and open throughout this process.” However, watchdogs have recently decried a lack of action on implementing those reforms. Transparency International EU Director Michiel van Hulten stated that “in December last year the Parliament promised root and branch reform to prevent a recurrence of Qatargate. Instead, we’ve seen nothing but dither and delay and attempts to blame others for what happened.”