A Brussels court today decided to release former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who has been jailed since December 9 as part of Belgium’s Qatar-Gate investigation. This was announced by the lawyer for the Lombard politician, Laurent Kennes. Panzeri is to be placed under house arrest with shackles in his Brussels home.
The former Social Democrat MEP, who is considered the mastermind of the corruption scandal in the European Parliament, showed remorse in January and agreed in negotiations with the court on a one-year prison sentence, which will come into force after the trial is over.
The bribery scandal, which became public at the end of 2022, is about alleged influence on decisions of the EU Parliament by the governments of Qatar and Morocco. The prosecutor has accused the accused of corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization.