EU Parliament Starts Process to Lift 2 Lawmakers' Immunity

Following a request from Belgian legal authorities looking into a significant corruption scandal rocking EU politics, the president of the European Parliament has started an urgent procedure to lift the immunity of two MPs.

According to a report from the European Parliament on Monday, President Roberta Metsola requested that the procedure be given top priority by all agencies and committees with a target completion date of February 13th.

The European Parliament has always done everything in its ability to support investigations, and we will keep working to ensure that there is no impunity, according to Metsola. "They will discover that this Parliament is on the side of the law. We will take all necessary measures to combat corruption because it cannot pay."

The two MEPs' identities were not released by the EU Parliament press office. They are Belgian Marc Tarabella and Italian Andrea Cozzolino, according to two persons familiar with the matter who were unable to comment publicly because the investigation is still underway.

When contacted for comment, the two did not answer right away.

Cozzolino and Tarabella, whose residence was searched last month, have both denied wrongdoing and self-suspended their affiliation with the Socialists and Democrats party in the Parliament (S&D).

Cozzolino had previously declared he was willing to give up his parliamentary immunity so he could respond to inquiries from law enforcement.

The Socialists and Democrats stated that they will follow the procedures laid out in the European Parliament in a responsible and productive manner with regard to the request to lift their immunity.

In connection with the scam, which allegedly involves Qatari and Moroccan officials suspected of influencing economic and political choices with gifts and money, a third member of parliament, Eva Kaili, has already been prosecuted.

Kaili is charged with money laundering, corruption, and affiliation with a criminal gang by the prosecution. Kaili, a socialist MEP from Greece, has been detained since December 9. Francesco Giorgi, a member of the European Parliament and her partner, is in jail on similar accusations.

After being indicted, Kaili lost her position as vice president of the parliament. She would have typically been protected from prosecution, but after Belgian police carried out raids on locations in Brussels last month, substantial amounts of cash were reportedly discovered at her home. As a result, she was summoned before a magistrate.

It's believed that Kaili and Giorgi collaborated with Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former EU senator who served as Giorgi's previous employer. Panzeri is "suspected of interfering politically with members working in the European Parliament for the benefit of Qatar and Morocco, against payment," according to arrest warrants.

The Parliament has put a stop to work on Qatar-related papers while it looks into the potential effects of the bribery scandal involving cash and gifts for influence. Morocco has not yet responded to claims that its ambassador to Poland may have been engaged, and Qatar adamantly rejects any involvement.

In Italy, where they were placed under house arrest on related accusations, Panzeri's wife and daughter are also wanted by Belgian authorities.

Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, the secretary-general of the non-governmental group No Peace Without Justice, was a fourth suspect in Belgium who was prosecuted and imprisoned in connection with the case.

After police conducted more than 20 raids, largely in Belgium but also in Italy, the scandal came to the public's attention. Numerous homes and a bag at a hotel in Brussels both had hundreds of thousands of euros. Data, computers, and mobile devices were taken.