A Brussels appeals court on Tuesday upheld the extension of the prison sentence of one of those arrested in the framework of an anti-corruption operation for alleged bribes paid by Qatar to MEPs and European Parliament assistants to gain political and economic weight in the EU.
Specifically, the court has denied the request of lobbyist Nicolo Figa-Talamanca, who headed the NGO No Peace Without Justice, to cancel his detention under the electronic bracelet modality, thus confirming his prison regime, as reported by the newspaper ‘Le Soir’.
On the other hand, the defense of former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, founder of the NGO ‘Fight Impunity’, has also attended a court hearing and has asked for it to be postponed until January 17.
The Brussels Court of First Instance last week extended the pre-trial detention for Eva Kaili, the vice-president of the European Parliament, dismissed following her indictment in the corruption case being investigated by the Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
