Two more lawmakers were stripped of their immunity from prosecution in the latest escalation of the Qatar-linked bribery scandal that’s sparked a crackdown on corruption at the heart of European Union decision making.
(Bloomberg) — Two more lawmakers were stripped of their immunity from prosecution in the latest escalation of the Qatar-linked bribery scandal that’s sparked a crackdown on corruption at the heart of European Union decision making.
The European Parliament voted on Thursday to waive the legal protection of Belgium’s Marc Tarabella and Italy’s Andrea Cozzolino, in response to a request from Belgian authorities.
The vote follows probes and arrests of current and present politicians including parliament’s former vice president Eva Kaili, with more than €1.5 million ($1.6 million) seized in cash as part of Belgian police investigation into a corruption scandal involving the European Parliament, Qatar and Morocco.
Read More: Ex-EU Lawmaker in Qatar Scandal to Tell Prosecutors About Bribes
Roberta Metsola, the Parliament’s president, pledged last month to crack down on any misconduct proposing a raft of new rules aimed at shedding more light on the work of lawmakers and their contacts with foreign powers, lobbyists and other outsiders.
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