Good morning,
Today is the third anniversary of the arrests of MEPs and parliamentary staff that marked the start of the Qatargate corruption scandal.
The Greek MEP Eva Kaili and her partner Francesco Giorgi could, in theory, hardly have appeared more guilty – lugging suitcases stuffed with cash when they were apprehended by the Belgian police. Yet Kaili has always denied any wrongdoing, while Giorgi gave a confession which he later retracted saying that it had been obtained by coercion. But arguably the real scandal is that three years on, Kaili and Giorgi have been neither charged, convicted or acquitted of any criminal activity.
If Qatargate, which was about foreign governments paying MEPs for political favours and influence, exposed the European parliament’s long-standing problems with lobbying and politicians raking in cash on the side, the scandal that broke last week is about the cosy relationship between the EU institutions and the College of Europe in Bruges.
The finishing school for EU officials is now at the centre of a corruption probe in which two of the EU’s top diplomats are alleged to have rigged a multi-million euro tender process linked to the establishment of a European Diplomatic Academy at the College.
Former high representative for foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini, and fellow Italian diplomat Stefano Sannino are the main targets after both were arrested and then released pending an investigation led by Belgian police and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). They have denied any wrongdoing.
Qatargate left a stench around the parliament that has not gone away. Smelliest is the fact that former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who served four months in prison after agreeing a plea bargain, was the only politician implicated in the scandal who ever had their day in court. The Belgian police probe stumbled through a series of mishaps including conflicts of interest and incompetence. Whether Mogherini and Sannino are guilty of anything is (almost) less important than the investigation and any possible prosecutions being conducted quickly and cleanly.
– Benjamin Fox, Africa editor
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