The Brussels Court of Indictment is set to assess whether the investigation into alleged bribery by Qatar and Morocco of European Parliament members was conducted properly.
Lawyers for several suspects requested this examination in early 2023, but debates are only beginning now. Over 20 parties involved in the case will present their arguments throughout the week.
The federal prosecutor’s office has been investigating claims that Qatar and Morocco sought to influence political and economic decision-making in the European Parliament.
The countries allegedly used former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri and his NGO, Fight Impunity, to exert pressure on parliamentary decisions and resolutions.
Prominent individuals in the case include Panzeri, his aide Francesco Giorgi, Giorgi’s partner and former European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili, lobbyist Nicolo Figa-Talamanca, Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino, and Marie Arena, formerly an MEP for Belgium’s Socialist Party.
In January 2025, three additional individuals were implicated: a political adviser for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, a parliamentary assistant to Panzeri and Tarabella, and a former adviser within the same political group.
In March 2025, the federal prosecutor requested the waiver of parliamentary immunity for Italian MEPs Elisabetta Gualmini and Alessandra Moretti, both in the parliament’s socialist-democratic group.
Panzeri secured the status of a "repentant" informant in the case. Reports claim he confessed Tarabella was meant to receive €250,000 in total by the end of the 2024 legislative period. Tarabella denies the accusation. Kaili, Arena, and other suspects also maintain their innocence.
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The investigation has faced setbacks over the years. Initial judge Michel Claise recused himself when it was revealed his son co-owned a company with Arena’s son.
Judge Aurélie Dejaiffe took over but later joined the Brussels Appeals Court, necessitating a third judge. Additionally, the lead prosecutor assigned to the case acquired a new role and was replaced.
In spring 2025, Kaili’s lawyers argued that European parliamentary immunity rules were violated at the onset of the inquiry.
They claimed Belgium should have sought immunity waiver as far back as 2022. However, lawyers for the European Parliament, which joined the case as a civil party, contend that no procedural errors occurred regarding immunity.
Other defence teams question the investigation’s legality, citing issues such as alleged false statements by Panzeri. Giorgi reportedly recorded a conversation where an investigator admitted knowing Panzeri was lying.
Defence groups have also criticised the use of intelligence data instead of police-gathered evidence in the case. They requested an inquiry into the State Security Service’s methods by the oversight body Committee I in 2024.
While Committee I validated the legality of these methods in January 2025, defence lawyers have vowed to re-examine the State Security Service’s role during the upcoming debates.
The debates will commence at 14:00 on Monday at the Brussels Court of Indictment and are expected to extend over at least five afternoons.
