MEP Kaili on house arrest until trial following bribery charges
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The former VP of EU's parliament has been accused of accepting cash to lobby the bloc on behalf of Qatar.
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Greek MEP Eva Kaili (Reuters)
Greek MEP Eva Kaili has been released on Wednesday following a ruling by a Belgian judge to transfer her from custody into house arrest until she is put on trial, AFP reported.
"She is under house arrest in Belgium and placed under electronic surveillance. The investigating judge has just made the decision," Antoon Schotsaert, a magistrate at the Belgian federal prosecutor's office, told AFP.
Kaili was charged last December for "corruption allegations involving Qatar" at the World Cup and was placed in custody since. She was one of four suspects involved in a probe into the alleged kickbacks from Qatar and Morocco, which uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash. She has been since then stripped of her position as the European Parliament's 14th vice president but has been allowed to keep the position of MEP.
Kaili's co-accused, ex-MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, shockingly admitted guilt last January and, in return for a lighter prison sentence, agreed to share details and information with authorities.
Panzeri agreed to share information regarding how the scheme took place and agreed to not exclude countries that paid bribes and people they [the accused] paid off. Belgian authorities have their sights set on two other European Parliament members and have asked for their immunity to be lifted.
Qatar, on its part, has repeatedly denied all such accusations, that, according to Doha, could "negatively" affect relations alongside natural gas supplies.
