Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

EU parliament graft suspect Kaili to be freed from custody

FILE PHOTO: Lawmaker Eva Kaili is seen in the parliament in Athens November 4, 2011, prior to a confidence vote. REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis

Eva Kaili, the former European Parliament vice president accused of corruption, is to be released from custody, while still facing charges, federal prosecutors and her lawyer's office said on Wednesday.

The 44-year-old Greek Socialist and others are accused of accepting bribes from Qatar and Morocco in one of the biggest corruption scandals to hit European Union institutions.

Kaili and the Gulf state have denied any wrongdoing. Morocco has complained of "judicial harassment" and media attacks.

Kaili was detained along with three others during police raids in December that recovered 1.5 million euros ($1.65 million) in cash. She will wear an electronic tag and will not be allowed to leave Belgium. It was not clear exactly when she will be released.

The other three have also been released, along with Belgian European lawmaker Marc Tarabella, who was detained in February and let out with an electronic monitor on Tuesday. He also denies wrongdoing.

Another lawmaker, Italian Andrea Cozzolino, is fighting Belgium's request that he be extradited from Italy. He denies taking bribes from foreign countries.

($1 = 0.9111 euros)

(Reporting by Clement Rossignol and Geert De Clercq, writing by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Geert De Clercq and Ed Osmond)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.