Belgian lawmaker's home searched as part of European Parliament corruption probe

By Omer Tugrul Cam

BRUSSELS (AA) - A search was conducted Wednesday at the home of Belgian politician Maria Arena, a member of the European Parliament (MEP), as part of a parliament-related corruption investigation.

According to the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office, searches were conducted at six locations in Brussels, including Arena's house.

Reports said the searches were part of a corruption investigation launched in December 2022, and some documents and devices such as computers were seized.

No one was taken into custody after the searches, according to the authorities.

Arena, one of the socialist MEPs, has been frequently mentioned in the press due to her communication with former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, the prime suspect in the corruption investigation.

Arena resigned from her position as chair of the European Parliament’s human rights subcommittee in January amid accusations by some journalists and colleagues.

- Corruption scandal

The European Union has been shaken by one of the biggest corruption scandals in its history after Eva Kaili, a Greek member of the European Parliament, was arrested on Dec. 9 by Belgian police on corruption charges.

Kaili, 44, from Greece's center-left PASOK-KINAL party and one of the European Parliament's 14 vice presidents, was arrested after her home was searched on corruption charges allegedly involving Qatar, which was accused of paying Kaili to lobby for the Gulf state's interests.

Up to €1.5 million ($1.68 million) in cash was also seized by Belgian police across dozens of home and office searches. Parliamentary computers were also confiscated to protect important data.

Those detained alongside Kaili included Panzeri, Kaili's partner Francesco Giorgi, who worked as an assistant in the European Parliament, and Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, the director of a non-governmental organization working on the rule of law.​​​​​​​

All those detained as part of the investigation were released on probation.