Key EU suspect in ‘Qatargate’ corruption scandal cuts deal with prosecutors for leniency
- Pier Antonio Panzeri was the alleged ringleader of a European Union cash-for-influence corruption scandal linked to Qatar and Morocco
- He has decided to reveal information about the affair in exchange for a lighter sentence, Belgian prosecutors said.
A key suspect in a spreading EU corruption scandal, former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, has cut a deal to divulge information about countries involved and bribes made, Belgian prosecutors said.
In return, he would get a “limited sentence” including imprisonment, a fine and confiscation of €1 million (US$1.1 million) in assets, the prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday.
The development was a dramatic turn in the so-called “Qatargate” corruption scandal in which prosecutors suspect Qatar and Morocco funnelled bribes through Panzeri and other figures to influence decisions in the European Parliament.
Qatar has denied any wrongdoing and Morocco has accused the media of making unjustified “attacks”.
The allegations have roiled the parliament and sparked unease in other EU institutions, with concerns voiced that their public credibility could be shaken.
Panzeri is one of four suspects held in Belgium following police raids on addresses last month that turned up €1.5 million in cash.