Eva Kaili is at the centre of a corruption scandal.
(Picture: SOOC/AFP via Getty Images)A money-laundering and corruption scandal has rocked Brussels, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declaring the accusations as “very serious”.
Four people have been arrested, including European Parliament vice-president Eva Kaili.
Along with arrests, several raids have taken place, with Belgian police seizing cash worth around €600,000 ($632,000; £515,000).
The Parliament’s senior leaders have agreed unanimously to strip the Greek MEP Ms Kaili of her role as one of the body’s vice-presidents after she was implicated in the scandal.
The decision on Ms Kaili needs to be approved by two-thirds of the Parliament’s 705 MEPs, who are due to vote on the matter later on Tuesday.
The major corruption probe has allegedly involved World Cup hosts Qatar, the Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola said.
In what has been described as the worst corruption scandal in years, the claims involve Qatar’s government which is alleged to have bribed officials in the EU capital to win influence.
The specifics of the claims among those arrested is yet to be made clear, but Qatar’s government has stated it “categorically rejects any attempts to associate it with accusations of misconduct”.
But who is Ms Kaili, one of the main people at the centre of the scandal?
Arrests in #Brussels, as part of an investigation into suspicions of corruption by #Qatar within the #EuropeanParliament. Stacks and bags of money were found at the home of @EvaKaili Deputy Speaker of Parliament. #Qatar2022 #QatarWorldCup2022 pic.twitter.com/bhY3KjIes3
— V E L O C I T Y 🏴Ⓐ (@Sacco_69) December 11, 2022
Who is Eva Kaili?
Ms Kaili, 44, is a Greek politician and has served as one of the 14 vice-presidents of the European Parliament since 2014.
She studied architecture and civil engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, before obtaining a Master of Arts degree in International and European affairs from the University of Piraeus in 2008.
Before embarking on a political career, Ms Kaili was a newscaster at the Greek television network Mega Channel.
The integrity of @Europarl_EN comes first and foremost.
— Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) December 13, 2022
Today at 1200hrs, @Europarl_EN will vote on the unanimous proposal of the Conference of Presidents to bring to an end the term of office of Vice-President Eva Kaili. pic.twitter.com/IknC0Zv6q3
Eva Kaili’s political career
Ms Kaili joined PASOK Youth, the youth movement of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement party, in 1992.
In 2001, she was President of the School of Architecture Students’ Association and by 2002, she was already the youngest member to be elected to the Thessaloniki City Council.
She became a national lawmaker in the Hellenic Parliament in 2007 and was, at the time, the youngest Member of Parliament with the PASOK party.
As the Greek sovereign debt crisis worsened after the global financial crisis of 2007-08, Ms Kaili ran for the European Parliament and was elected in 2014.
She joined the powerful Socialist & Democrats (S&D) group and quickly gained a reputation as being a media-friendly and approachable politician.
Her highest political role was when she became a Member of the European Parliament until her recent arrest and expulsion.
Ms Kaili was arrested on Friday, December 8 by Belgian police as part of a “major investigation” and charged with “participation in a criminal organisation, money laundering and corruption”.
She is suspected of illicit lobbying in favour of a Persian Gulf state, which Belgian media has identified as Qatar, the host of the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
