Italian Pier Antonio Panzeri held in EU-Qatargate bribery probe agrees to tell all

BBC ^

[BenLurkin]

The former member of the European Parliament is one of four suspects being held in Belgium.

They are suspected of accepting bribes from Qatar and Morocco in return for influencing the Parliament in Brussels.

Qatar has strenuously denied that it tried to gain influence through gifts and money while Morocco has also strongly rejected allegations that it sought influence on issues such as fishing rights and the disputed status of Western Sahara.

The four suspects were charged last month after police seized around €1.5m (£1.3m) in cash during a series of raids on a flat, a house and a hotel. Pictures of stashes of €200, €50, €20 and €10-denomination notes were released by police, including a suitcase found in the hotel which was stuffed with cash.

Prosecutors said Mr Panzeri agreed the plea deal under an informant law used only once before in Belgium.

His lawyer Marc Uyttendaele said he admitted "criminal responsibility", adding: "It is important to know that this is a man who is destroyed and he doesn't have much of a life left."

But his client hoped to "secure his situation" by agreeing to "tell all he knows about the case", Mr Uyttendaele added.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

He’s dead, Jim.

[Steely Tom]

Let's centralize all the power in just one place. Much more efficient.

[William Tell]

“Was that wrong? Should I have not done that? I tell you I gotta plead ignorance on this thing because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing was frowned upon, you know, cause I’ve worked in a lot of offices and I tell you people do that all the time.”

[thegagline]

The BBC failed to mention that all of those involved in the corruption scandal are members of “The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.”

[drSteve78]

So, not enough big guys got their vig to be happy.

[dila813]

He didn’t kill himself.....

[SunkenCiv]

• Who is who in the European Parliament corruption scandal? [01/16/2023]
• 500 ATMs blown up by migrant gangs in Germany in 2022, setting a new record [01/18/2023]
• Open Borders Ireland: Green Govt Minister Says Migrants Fleeing Climate Change Must Be Let In [01/12/2023 ]
• Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc ousted over corruption scandals [01/17/2023]
• Madonna Accused of Pornography and Child Trafficking in Southern Africa – Ethiopian World Federation Urges President of Malawi to Conduct Investigation [01/18/2023]
• The FAA has very quietly tacitly admitted that the EKGs of pilots are no longer normal. We should be concerned. Very concerned. [01/17/2023]
• Dad says FEMA tried to bribe him after teen son's post-vaccine death: He refused and went public [01/17/2023]