The fight against the Qatargate operation continues to drag consequences in the European Parliament. Roberta Metsola, president of the organization, has ordered the “urgent” opening of a procedure to lift the immunity of two MEPs, at the request of the Belgian judicial authorities, and has warned that “there will be no impunity”.
The president stressed that “from the first moment” when the scandal over alleged bribes from Qatar broke out, which already cost a vice-president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, the job, the institution “has done everything possible to help in the research”.
The official note does not name those affected, but the sources cited by ‘Le Soir’ point to the Italian Andrea Cozzolino and the Belgian Marc Tarabella, both linked to the alleged corrupt plot that also led to Kaili’s arrest.
“Those responsible will find this Parliament on the side of the law. Corruption cannot be allowed and we will do everything possible to combat it,” the Maltese politician stressed in a statement. For this case, Metsola has also promised to reform the functioning of the Eurochamber.
The regulations stipulate that the Presidency must announce the request for the end of the appraisal 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 Commission, 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 session of the European Parliament, which must approve or reject the petition initially raised by Metsola. The president has asked to expedite all these processes so that they can be concluded on February 13.
