Eva Kaili, ex-vice president of European Parliament, no longer under home arrest

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) – A Belgian judge decided on Thursday to end the house arrest of Eva Kaili, the former vice president of the European Parliament, the federal prosecutor's office said.

Kaili, who lost vice presidency following one of the biggest corruption scandals in the European Parliament's history, can take off her electronic bracelet, Eric Van Duyse, the head of communication at prosecutor’s office, told Anadolu.

"The measure is no longer necessary for the rest of the investigation," Duyse said, adding the former parliament vice president is now free under judicial control.

Kali, the key suspect in the EU corruption case, was placed under house arrest in Mid-April after she was put in prison for four months.

The EU has been shaken by the corruption scandal after Kaili 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.

Also, up to €1.5 million ($1.62 million) in cash was seized by the Belgian police across dozens of home and office searches. In addition, parliamentary computers were also confiscated to protect important data.

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