Portuguese MEP Santos likely implicated in Qatargate

 

Portuguese MEP Santos likely implicated in Qatargate

mmj/mw 21.12.2022, 16:11

https://tvpworld.com/65221149/portuguese-mep-santos-likely-implicated-in-qatargate

 

Belgian law enforcement has accused Santos (L) of approving the financing of Fight Impunity, an NGO run by Panzeri (R), using EU funds.

 

Representing Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party (PS) MEP Isabel Santos may be implicated in the corruption scandal of high-ranking members of the European Parliament by Qatar – the so-called Qatargate, Lisbon’s “Inevitavel” wrote on Wednesday.

 

Belgian law enforcement has accused Santos of approving the financing of Fight Impunity using EU funds. Fight Impunity is an NGO run by former Italian MEP Antonio Panzeri who has been accused of corruption and money laundering, Inevitavel wrote.

 

The Portuguese MEP was a member of the NGO’s advisory board together with former chief of EU diplomacy Frederica Mogherini, former PM of France Bernard Cazeneuve and former EU commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, among others.

 

Focusing on promoting human rights, Fight Impunity was established by Panzeri in 2019. The organisation, however, was not featured in the EU Transparency Register, which requires of NGOs willing to operate in the European Parliament that they reveal information about their doings.

 

Santos claims that she had not known the organisation was absent from the register, Inevitavel reported. The MEP allegedly stated her shock and surprise, adding that the European Parliament should indeed verify NGOs.

 

Belgian daily “Le Soir” was the first to report Santos’ potential implication in the scandal. The daily quoted Belgian investigators as to that matter.

 

CNN Portugal recalled that on December 12, i.e. shortly after the arrest of Panzeri, Santos announced how she played an “honorary” role alone in the former Italian MEP’s organisation.

 

Greek MEP Eva Kaili is also among the individuals arrested by Belgian law enforcement in the context of Qatargate. She has already been removed from the office of deputy head of the European Parliament which she had held until the allegations of corruption surfaced.