By CNN Greek – The critical time of the apology before the Justice has arrived for Eva Kaili , who on Thursday morning (22/12, 10:00 Greek time) will be presented to the investigator in Brussels for the corruption case in the European Parliamentwith the participation of Qatar in infamous Qatar Gate
This time she herself will be present in court seeking to avoid pre-trial detention. The Greek MEP will try to prove her innocence and from there it will be decided whether she will remain in prison until her trial or if she will be released under restrictive conditions, or with an electronic bracelet.
The Judicial Council will be the one to decide with the Federal Prosecutor having the right to appeal the decision within 24 hours.
Completion of the process is expected to be long, while in each case it will be judged whether she is a suspected fugitive or if there is a suspicion that she might destroy evidence. Eva Kaili had received a postponement last week, amidst information that she has confessed to the authorities that she was aware of the actions of Antonio Pancheri, but also of the existence of sums of money in her house.
For hours, the lawyers prepared the statement
Eva Kaili was visited in prison by her lawyers, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos and Andre Rizopoulos, and for four hours they discussed her line of defense before the Belgian court. According to what Michalis Dimitrakopoulos said right after, the MEP is disappointed by her partner, Francesco Giorgi. The Greek MEP is said to be “in a bad psychological state and particularly troubled”, according to her lawyer.
“We spent many hours with Mrs. Kaili. It is a day when her personal freedom is judged and there is no greater good than freedom,” said Michalis Dimitrakopoulos.
Mr. Dimitrakopoulos emphasized that Eva Kaili “feels betrayed by her partner. She trusted him, he denied her.” As he pointed out, tomorrow “the issue is not whether she is guilty or innocent, but the only thing that will be decided is whether she should be released or remain in prison”. In fact, he cited Eva Kaili’s other advocate, Andre Rizopoulos, who estimated that “no prediction is safe” and that “things are difficult”.
Eva Kaili’s lawyers will try to convince the authorities of two things:
- On the one hand, that the Greek MEP is not suspected of fleeing and on the other
- that he will not hinder investigations either by altering evidence or by talking to key persons.
“We have strong legal arguments for her release. A man who has lost his freedom is unhappy and when he also has a two-year-old child waiting for him, he is essentially an orphan because the father is also in prison, he is even more unhappy. We will fight because Ms. Kaili is neither a fugitive suspect, nor does she have the ability to destroy evidence”, concluded M. Dimitrakopoulos and emphasized that “according to purely legal criteria, I can say that I have optimism”.
It is noted, however, that according to Belgian and Italian newspaper reports, immediately after the arrest of her partner, Fr. Georgie, Eva Kaili was in a panic.
According to the same reports, the MEP tried to alert the “mastermind” of the ring, Antonio Panzeri, and two MEPs, while also calling her father to disappear the cash. For their part, Ms. Kaili’s advocates speak of a biased interpretation of the statements.
George’s revelations about Mauritania as well
As reported by La Republica, Eva Kaili’s Italian partner, while describing the “Qatar plan” to the public prosecutors, referred to yet another NGO, while revealing that the role of Mauritania was suspect. Meanwhile according to an article by Italian Il Fatto Quotidiano, Giorgi said there was also an agreement with Mauritania, similar to the one with Qatar and Morocco.
“I rented my apartment to the ambassador and it amounted to: 1,500 euros plus 300 euros expenses. Pancheri took 25 thousand in cash. Even in Mauritania they have a problem with their image. They hired Pancheri to get advice on what to do. We went to the Mauritanian embassy a week ago and met their ambassador and the Saudi who wanted information about what is being said in their country’s parliament,” said Eva Caili’s Italian partner.
At the same time, Il Fatto Quotidiano reveals a film-style meeting on October 10 between Pancheri, Giorgi and a delegation of Qataris who were in Brussels and in which Qatar’s Minister of Labor also participated.
The meeting reportedly took place at the ‘Steigenberger Wiltcher’s’ hotel which is famous in Belgium for its wealthy clientele. One day before the meeting in this hotel, the mission from Doha headed by the Qatari Minister of Labor, Ali samek Marri , had been catalysed . The Qatari team, which had booked the hotel’s 4th floor suite, had arrived in Brussels with the aim of a crucial hearing of the Labor Minister by the European Parliament’s Human Rights sub-committee to answer about respect for human rights in the context of preparations for the World Cup.
For the Belgian Authorities, notes the Italian newspaper, the (now available) MEP Andrea Coccolino , who replaced Pantzeri, was also in favor of Morocco. And as Giorgi reveals, a similar system was operating in the case of Morocco. “Through the ambassador in Poland , Abderrahim Atmo , who brought money from time to time, but not on a regular basis,” Giorgi told the authorities and added: “These are amounts of several tens of thousands of euros. I estimate the total amount at 50,000 euros. He would come to Brussels or we would go to Paris, to his apartment. When we went to get money, we said we were going to get ties or clothes,” he revealed.
The three MEPs that Pancheri allegedly “gave”.
“The total was variable, it’s hard for me to calculate, they were the ones who decided,” Giorgi reportedly told the judges. He was also careful to leave no traces, deleting contact numbers from his mobile phone.
It is recalled that, according to La Repubblica, Pancheri admitted, in part, the accusations, but attempted to downplay his role as the “brain” in the circuit. At the same time, Pantzeri allegedly gave information about three other MEPs: about Coccolino, his de facto successor, about Mark Tarabella and Maria Arena
Cotsolinos: “I am at the disposal of the authorities”
At the same time, Andrea Coccolino is one of the names that is persistently heard in the news regarding the corruption scandal in the European Parliament, without, however, having been prosecuted against him for the time being.
Coccolino, an MEP since 2009 with Italy’s Democratic Party, is related to two of the main suspects in the case – Pier Antonio Panzeri and Francesco Giorgi.
Now, therefore, the 60-year-old Italian MEP declares that he is at the disposal of the Belgian investigator, Michel Clees, and that he is ready for his parliamentary immunity to be lifted.
“For more than a week I have been involved daily in the press reports about the Qatargate case, based on suspicions and arbitrary conclusions, while I have not received any calls or communications with the judicial authorities or the investigators,” Coccolino said in a press release issued by on Wednesday, and added:
“Based on this situation, which is particularly unfair and difficult, I have instructed my lawyers to inform the Belgian investigator, Michel Clees, that I have had absolutely no involvement in acts of corruption, but that I am at the disposal of Belgian justice for hearing on as soon as possible, in order to help uncover the truth. I am ready to waive the guarantees of my parliamentary immunity for this purpose.”
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