Eva Kaili slinks back into the EP

No press material, no Twitter posts: Eva Kaili, one of the main suspects in the Brussels corruption scandal, has practically sneaked back into the European Parliament. The irony of the situation is that the assembly - apparently with Ms Kaili already aboard - is due to vote in the next few days on the EU's internal ethics panel to be established and on the reforms deemed necessary in the wake of the same Brussels corruption scandal she is embroiled in.

Rabat, 2022. december 22. 2022. október 10-én a marokkói fővárosban, Rabatban készített kép Eva Kaili görög szocialista képviselőről, az Európai Parlament alelnökéről, akit korrupció gyanújával vizsgálati fogságba helyezték Belgiumban 2022. december 11-én. MTI/EPA/Dzsalal Morsidi Fotó: Dzsalal Morsidi

Eva Kaili hit the headlines last December when she became one of the first to be arrested in connection with the Brussels corruption scandal involving Qatar. The former Socialist vice-president of the European Parliament was prosecuted on corruption charges after Belgian authorities seized almost €1.5 million in cash during a search of her Brussels apartment. As time went on, she was released from prison, then from house arrest pending trial, and for some time has been free to travel within the Schengen area, while 

 her lawyers maintain presumption of innocence despite the mounting evidence.

The return to the EP of one of the main figures in the Qatargate-Brussels corruption scandal was mooted last month, and while the authorities granted her permission, she did not show up in the Strasbourg Chamber. Ms Kaili was not expecting a warm welcome as she was expelled from her party, the Greek Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), and also from her EP group, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Kaili now collaborates with MEPs who do not belong to any EU political group.

Ironically, Kaili's return to the European Parliament practically coincides with the vote on the EU internal ethics body resolution and a report on post-Qatargate anti-corruption reforms to the Parliament — both sparked in large part by her own alleged actions, writes the  Politico news portal.

And she is not the only one of the accused returning to their seats: Marc Tarabella has already come back and voted including voting against Hungary's upcoming EU presidency, and yesterday he pressed the "yes" button on a resolution condemning Poland - in the latter case in tandem with Kaili.

It was shocking that two MEPs who are facing criminal proceedings took part in the vote, namely Eva Kaili and Marc Tarabella. We consider it unacceptable that people who are facing very serious criminal charges are voting on Poland. Instead of the European Parliament suspending their MEP rights, they are allowed to vote and take part in decisions that condemn another country

Laszlo Trocsanyi, Fidesz MEP, told Hír TV. 

Although there is ample evidence that Kaili is implicated in the Brussels corruption case, the Greek politician continues to maintain her innocence and tries to convince the public with various conspiracy theories.

In recent weeks, she tried to clear her name by claiming that authorities targeted her only because she knew too much about government spying. In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Kaili sought to deflect attention from the scandal she was embroiled in by saying that "the spying by the secret services on certain members of parliament raises concerns about European democracies." But the Greek politician's claims have been refuted. Kaili's conspiracy theory has been challenged, for example, by Liberal MEP Sophie in 't Veld, who has outright rejected the accusation of spying.

Cover photo: Greek MEP Eva Kaili (Photo: MTI/EPA/Dzsalal Morsidi)