A former European Parliament member embroiled in the Qatar corruption scandal has agreed to reveal details of the scheme to prosecutors — including who he bribed — in exchange for a reduced jail term.
(Bloomberg) — A former European Parliament member embroiled in the Qatar corruption scandal has agreed to reveal details of the scheme to prosecutors — including who he bribed — in exchange for a reduced jail term.
Pier Antonio Panzeri, who was charged in December with money laundering and corruption, will tell officials how the scheme worked, including the involvement of other countries, Belgian federal prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday.
Panzeri’s punishment will include a “limited sentence” including imprisonment, a fine and confiscation of at least €1 million ($1.1 million) in “assets acquired,” they said. The pact comes under a leniency program that mirrors an Italian law aimed at allowing investigations of the Mafia.
The European Parliament is reeling from the corruption scandal, where four people, including the body’s ousted vice president Eva Kaili, have been arrested. The parliament is embarking on a series of ethics reforms in response to the revelations of the probe.
Panzeri is a former European Parliament member from Italy’s center-left and founder of the non-profit pro-justice campaign group Fight Impunity. Kaili’s partner Francesco Giorgi is his former adviser.
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The bribery scandal emerged during the recent soccer World Cup in Qatar, with claims that the Gulf nation may have paid for lawmakers to shed a more positive light on its activities after years of criticism over human rights. Qatar has rejected allegations of wrongdoing. Morocco has also been cited for its possible involvement in the case.
The European Commission is planning to propose a new law that would criminalize all forms of corruption and create unified definitions of corruption.
“It’s normal for us to talk to foreign politicians, businesspeople, leaders,” Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told the European Parliament on Tuesday. “What’s unacceptable is any malicious interference in our internal affairs, in our democracies.”
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