Two more socialist politicians sitting in the European Parliament have been linked to the bloc’s ongoing bribery scandal, a report on Thursday has claimed.
Leftist politicians Maria Arena and Alessandra Moretti have become the latest representatives within the European Parliament to be linked to the bloc’s ongoing bribery scandal, with the pair allegedly being named in an arrest warrant seen by a news outlet in Brussels.
The revelation brings the number of socialist party politicians linked to the scandal up to six, with the pair joining sitting MEPs Marc Tarabella. Andrea Cozzolino, Eva Kaili, as well as former representative Pier Antonio Panzeri in being attached to accusations of bribery within the bloc.
Panzeri has already admitted involvement in the scandal, and has promised to work with Belgian authorities in return for a reduced sentence.
Cozzolino has meanwhile been arrested by authorities, while Kaili is currently behind bars awaiting trial.
According to the report published by POLITICO on Thursday, the warrant describes both Arena and Moretti as being part of a “quadrumvirate” at the centre of the scandal, which allegedly involves officials from Qatar and Morocco handing over cash to officials in the hopes of buying influence in Brussels.
Panzeri is said to have been the ringleader of this operation, with the warrant describing him as, at one stage, giving instructions to Arena and Moretti to influence a parliament resolution on Qatar in 2021.
Moretti has denied the allegations, telling POLITICO that she has “never followed Mr Panzeri instructions in my political activity (sic)”.
Breitbart Europe has approached Arena for comment.
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
The inclusion of even more names in relation to the ongoing bribery scandal plaguing parliament is likely to only add to the headache of officials in Brussels, who have openly admitted that the allegations have greatly damaged the reputation of the European Union and its parliament.
Qatargate has also proven extremely damaging for the EU’s Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group, of which Arena, Moretti, Tarabella, Cozzolino, Kailia and Panzeri were all members.
With the bribery allegations having so far largely been confined to the leftist group within the European Parliament, some in Brussels have made the accusations that the corruption scandal is a left-wing issue.
“This is a socialist problem,” the head of the S&D group’s main rival, the European People’s Party alleged last week, who alleged that no such scandal could happen within his own group as he “runs a tight ship”.
Regardless of the truth of these allegations, many opponents of the Brussels machine have relished the opportunity to strike back, with National Rally leader Marine Le Pen and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — both of whom have been attacked by the bloc in the past — using the scandal as an opportunity to point out the hypocrisy of those in the union.
“The EP’s anti-corruption safeguards have failed miserably,” Orbán wrote online in the wake of the bribery revelations. “If we want to restore public trust, it’s time to abolish the European Parliament.”
Hungary’s Orbán Calls for EU Parliament to Be Abolished Amid Qatargate Corruption Scandalhttps://t.co/sp0zCHdafQ
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 23, 2022
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