Belgium probe expands, targets Greek MP's relatives
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Greek MP Eva Kaili was arrested in Brussels in December.
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Greek MP Eva Kaili (AP)
According to federal prosecutors on Thursday, Belgian detectives raided the houses of relatives of a Greek MEP under investigation in the Qatargate bribery scandal gripping the European Parliament.
Eva Kaili, a member of the European Parliament, was detained in Brussels in December by authorities investigating alleged bribery in the chamber before being freed on house arrest in April.
According to the investigation, the probe focuses on suspected attempts by Qatar and Morocco to purchase influence in the EU parliament. Simultaneously, Qatar has denied any involvement in the case's misconduct. Morocco claims it is the victim of an unwarranted "media onslaught" as a result of the charges.
Investigators visited Italy in January as part of the investigation, but this was the first time they conducted raids in Greece, according to Eric Van Duyse, spokesperson for the Belgian prosecutor's office.
Private homes were raided and investigators recovered evidence, but the spokesperson declined to elaborate.
Lawyers representing Kaili stated on Tuesday that mobile phones and laptop computers were taken from the house of Kaili's sister, adding that Kaili's home was also raided.
On her part, Kaili denies taking a bribe from Qatar, in addition to denying guilt of corruption. She dealt with charges brought by Belgian authorities, turning an accusation into a scandal. She also denied hoarding $158,000 in cash in a child's bed found in a search at her residence, according to Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, a lawyer speaking to Greece TV in December.
Her boyfriend and child's father, Italian parliamentary staffer Francesco Giorgi, is one of the six other defendants in the case.
