EU rocked by €1m Qatar corruption scandal

Investigators searched offices at the European Parliament yesterday after carrying out 19 other raids and seizing €1m in a widening probe into alleged bribes from World Cup host Qatar.

Belgian prosecutors said about €600,000 (£515,000) was seized at the home of one suspect and €150,000 was found at the flat of an MEP. Several hundred thousand euros was also found “in a suitcase in a Brussels hotel room”, amid “allegations that Qatar bribed EU officials to win influence”, the BBC reported.

Greek MEP Eva Kaili, a vice-president of the European Parliament, and three other people have been charged with corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation.

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The scandal has been described as “one of the biggest corruption investigations in the history of the European Parliament”, said The Times.

Politico reported that a “stunned Brussels elite” was grappling with an “uncomfortable question” – “just how deep does the rot go?”

Parliament insiders “said they believed more names would be drawn into the widening dragnet”, according to the news site, “and that the Qatar bribery scandal was symptomatic of a much deeper and more widespread problem with corruption not just in the European Parliament, but across all the EU institutions”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday said the accusations were “very serious” and called for the creation of a new ethics body to oversee the bloc. MEPs will discuss the allegations today. Qatar and Kaili have denied any wrongdoing.