Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino, named in the investigations opened in Belgium for the alleged Qatar bribery scheme, has denied the accusations and, through his lawyers, has clarified that he does not intend to invoke at any time the immunity to which he is entitled and which is precisely now in question.
The lawyers have assured in a statement that Cozzolino, a socialist, is «totally unaware» of the facts that he is accused of and has offered to clarify with the European Parliament all the doubts. Thus, «he will ask the parliamentary assembly to which he belongs to be heard,» reports the AdnKronos agency.
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, ordered on Monday the «urgent» opening of a procedure to lift the immunity of two MEPs at the request of the Belgian judicial authorities. «There will be no impunity,» Metsola sentenced.
The rules stipulate that the Presidency must announce the request for the end of the immunity in a plenary session, a procedure that Metsola plans to carry out on the first available date, next January 16. The request then falls to the Legal Affairs Committee, which is responsible for appointing a rapporteur and examining the measure in detail.
This committee will study and vote on a report and its recommendations will then go to the plenary of the European Parliament, which must approve or reject the request made by Metsola. The President has asked to speed up all these processes so that they can be concluded by February 13.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
