EU Parliament Suspends Qatar Work as Corruption Probe Grows
- Pause affects visa liberalization, aviation deal ratification
- Belgian police seized more than €1.5 million euros in cash
Eva Kaili
Photographer: Philippe Buissin/European ParliamentThis article is for subscribers only.
The European Parliament voted Thursday to stop legislative work related to Qatar and called for barring the country’s representatives from the legislature after the Gulf state was tied to a corruption scandal where police seized more than €1.5 million ($1.6 million) in cash.
The parliament is reeling from an investigation after Eva Kaili, a vice president of the body, and Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former member, were arrested on money laundering and corruption charges. Belgian prosecutors said they’re probing whether large sums of money were being paid to influence the decisions of parliament.