CNN
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One of the European Parliament’s Vice-Presidents, Eva Kairi, was expelled from a Greek political party amid a corruption probe.
The Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), one of Greece’s main opposition parties, said in a statement on Friday: Decision of President Nikos Androurakis. ”
Kairi’s political group within the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, also announced on Friday that it would immediately suspend Kairi from the group “in response to an ongoing investigation.”
This comes after a Belgian federal prosecutor told Belgian public broadcaster RTBF on Friday that one of parliament’s 14 vice-presidents had been accused of a crime as part of a corruption probe involving the European Parliament and the Persian Gulf state. This is due to confirmation that they were brought in for questioning.
In a statement, the RTBF said the prosecutor said in a statement that inspectors from the Belgian Federal Police had spent two years “suspicious that countries coming from the Persian Gulf were influencing the economic and political decisions of the European Parliament.” I was there,” he said.
According to the RTBF, Belgian police suspect Belgium has transferred “necessary sums” or “significant gifts” to important parties within the European Parliament.
Federal prosecutors did not identify the vice president, but said they were one of four people brought in for questioning.
“Among those arrested is an elderly MEP,” the prosecutor said.
Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all surround the Persian Gulf.
Approximately €600,000 ($632,000) in cash was seized in a search conducted as part of the investigation, according to the RTBF. Computer materials and a phone were also seized as part of his 16 searches in Ixelles, Schabeek, Kleinhem, Forrest and Brussels in Belgium.