The European Parliament has approved on Tuesday to adapt its committee on foreign interference so that it can also investigate the Qatari and Moroccan corruption scheme affecting the European institution.
Following revelations of alleged foreign interference and investigations into the biggest corruption case in the European Parliament, the special committee will have new tasks to identify shortcomings and loopholes in the European Parliament’s transparency, integrity and accountability rules.
In its report due in July, the committee of inquiry will propose medium- and long-term measures and recommendations for reforms to improve the functioning of the institution. These will be based on European Parliament resolutions and best practices from other parliaments and institutions.
This is part of the European Parliament’s internal response after the corruption case involving several MEPs, including the dismissed Vice-President Eva Kaili, broke out at the end of 2022.
The Greek socialist, her partner and MEP advisor, Francesco Giorgi, and two other people have been charged with involvement in criminal organization, money laundering and corruption.
One of the accused and considered the ringleader, the former MEP Antonio Panzeri, has reached an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office to confess all the details of the plot and to point out those who collected the bribes in exchange for a reduction in the penalties requested against him from five to one year in prison.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
