Amid Qatar scandal, European Parliament pledges reform

The European Parliament suspended all legislation related to ties with Qatar on Thursday as the parliament's speaker vowed a range of reforms following charges of corruption against a Greek MEP Eva Kaili.

"I am putting together a wide-ranging reform package to be ready in the new year," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in Brussels. "I will lead this work personally."

"That is how we respond to rebuild trust. Trust as we know takes years to build and moments to destroy."

Metsola told the 27 EU leaders in Brussels that there were serious suspicions that "people linked to autocratic governments" were trying to undermine democracy in the EU.

Prosecutor seeks lifting of MEP immunity

The EU's Public Prosecutor Office called on the parliament to lift the immunity of Kaili, as well as another Greek MEP, Maria Spyraki, who is also being investigated in a separate graft case.

The request comes at the behest of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) which is investigating new accusations of corruption against Kaili regarding separate alleged misuse of funds assigned to MEPs to pay their assistants. 

"There is a suspicion of fraud detrimental to the EU budget, in relation to the management of the parliamentary allowance," a press release said.

Belgian newspaper Le Soir also reported that Kaili's husband, who was one of the four suspects arrested in the case, had admitted to being part of an organization interfering with the Parliament on behalf of Qatar and Morocco.

Meanwhile, Greek authorities are also considering opening their own probe into the corruption charges.

Focus on Qatar

The Qatari government has rejected all accusations as "gravely misinformed," but on Thursday, lawmakers in the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted to condemn Kaili and "denounce" Qatar's alleged attempts to interfere in the parliament "through acts of corruption, which constitute serious foreign interference in the EU's democratic processes."

Plans to ease visa applications for Qataris, an EU-Qatar aviation agreement and several planned visits were all put on hold on Thursday by the European Parliament, pending the investigation.

Representatives of the Gulf country will also be barred from accessing the Parliament's grounds during the investigation.

Lawmakers also called for the creation of an independent ethics body aiming to prevent such scandals from occurring again.

ab/msh (dpa, AFP, Reuters)