An ongoing corruption scandal plaguing the European Union is a “socialist problem”, the leader of the centre-right European People’s Party has claimed.
Thanasis Bakolas, the general secretary of the European People’s Party (EPP), has blamed an ongoing bribery scandal in the European Parliament on his leftist colleagues, describing the corruption as being a “socialist problem”.
Although largely styled as adversaries within the EU, both the EPP and the left-wing Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group frequently see eye to eye on a number of issues, with the two parties both being big supporters of the EU as an institution.
However, such common ground appears to have well and truly buckled in the wake of the scandal revelations, with Bakolas attacking his S&D colleagues as being responsible for the ongoing corruption crisis in the bloc’s parliament.
“This is a socialist problem,” the general secretary declared in an interview with POLITICO, who attacked the socialist party for failing to properly take responsibility for the scandal, which has seen a number of its current and former members fall under police investigation.
“Who’s raising their hands and saying: ‘It’s my responsibility what happened?’ Who’s saying: ‘I gotta look into my house?'” he asked, adding that he and his party by contrast “run a tight ship”, and that a similar scandal would not ever take place within the EPP.
Ex-Socialist MEP Admits Guilt in Bribery Scandal, Promises to Share ‘Revealing’ Details of EU Corruptionhttps://t.co/UCjUnTDUg6
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 19, 2023
In response to the statement, a spokesman for the S&D group warned against politicising the scandal, saying that doing so could further undermine the failing trust EU citizens have in their parliament.
The party is not exactly speaking from a position of strength regarding the scandal however, with numerous MEPs and officials linked to the party having been implicated in ongoing investigations into bribery in the EU.
By far the most notable example of such alleged corruption is that of Eva Kaili, a former vice president of the European Parliament who lost her position last year after being accused of taking bribes.
The S&D-affiliated politician is now behind bars awaiting a court hearing regarding the scandal.
Other politicians from the party that have been linked to alleged corruption are Marc Tarabella, who has been accused of accepting over $100,000 in bribes, and Andrea Cozzolino, who has been linked to similar so-called “acts of corruption”.
Meanwhile, a former MEP for the party, Pier Antonio Panzeri, has already admitted to being involved in corruption within the European Parliament, reaching a plea deal with authorities in Belgium earlier this month which will reportedly involve him disclosing details regarding his alleged co-conspirators.
EU Bribery Scandal is ‘Infinitely Painful’, Says Commission President Ursula von der Leyen https://t.co/wgdveWBRa7
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 23, 2023
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