House arrest has been lifted against two suspects in the bribery scandal in the European Parliament. MEP Marc Tarabella and Francesco Giorgi, the partner of former European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili, were allowed to remove their electronic ankle bracelets, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office said in Brussels today.
The investigating judge decided that the detention was no longer justified. Kaili and the alleged mastermind behind the affair, Antonio Panzeri, remained under house arrest under electronic surveillance until further notice.
Alleged influence by Qatar and Morocco
The bribery scandal that became public at the end of last year is about alleged influence on decisions of the EU Parliament by the governments of Qatar and Morocco. The public prosecutor accuses the accused of corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization.
In Italy, the European parliamentarian Andrea Cozzolino is still under house arrest because of a possible involvement in the bribery scandal.
