The corruption scandal in the European Parliament is a political earthquake of still unimagined proportions. Now the shock waves seem to have reached the renowned Sakharov Prize and damaged its great reputation.
While this November’s award to the Ukrainian people was a no-brainer, last year’s ceremony was preceded by a heated argument – and that now appears in a whole new light now that Morocco and Qatar are suspected of having bought MEPs to have.
At the center of the scandal is Ewa Kaili, who, following a decision by the Belgian public prosecutor, must remain in prison for another month. The burden of proof against the Vice-President of Parliament, who has since been sacked, is too overwhelming.
Candidate campaigns for the rights of the people in occupied Western Sahara
One of the contenders for the 2021 “EU Nobel Peace Prize” was Sultana Khaya. She has been campaigning for the rights of the people in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara for years. That’s why the government in Rabat banned the woman under house arrest she is now being treated in a Spanish hospital for medical treatment.
At the time, the EU parliamentary group Die Linke supported this proposal and believed it had the backing of the socialist camp S&D, which included Ewa Kaili, who was now suspected of corruption.
But then something surprising happened. “A new vote has been decided, which for some inexplicable reason has been delayed by an hour,” said MEP Miguel Urban (Die Linke, Podemos) at the time. After this break, the S&D group suddenly voted for the Bolivian Jeanine Anez, the candidate of the extreme right group in parliament.
There was talk of obscure mail traffic, the course of which was never clarified.
Knut Krohn
The outcry was loud, there was talk of obscure mail traffic, the course of which was never clarified – but the Moroccan Sultana Khaya was out of the running. The S&D group then confirmed “tactical reasons” for the political dodge, but without giving details.
In the last round of voting, the Socialists supported the Afghan women who were to receive the award after the Taliban took power in Kabul. However, the Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny, the candidate of the liberal-conservative majority in the European Parliament, was awarded.
“In fact, years ago, as human rights defenders in Western Sahara, we lost hope in the European institutions, the Parliament, the European Commission and the rest of the institutions,” Sultana Khaya told the Belgian daily Le Soir. She is convinced that Morocco has “many opportunities” to influence decisions affecting Western Sahara.
Because of the current allegations of corruption, including against Morocco, speculation is now circulating about the surprising turns of the socialists before the Sakharov Prize is awarded in 2021. Some parliamentarians fear that in the course of the bribery investigations, the renowned award will also be dragged into the dirt.
To home page
