Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella has accepted an invitation to Qatar. In February 2020, he made a trip to Qatar paid for by the emirate and did not report it to the European Parliament as required, his lawyer told the Belgian broadcaster RTL yesterday.
The Socialist MEP is said to be a close confidant of former Italian MEP Pier-Antonio Panzeri, who is at the center of the EU corruption scandal.
Tarabella has denied any involvement in the case but has now acknowledged that he traveled to Qatar at the emirate’s expense. He had been invited to a congress and the organizers had covered the costs, his lawyer said. An employee reminded him to disclose the trip, but the deadline had already expired.
Lawyer: “Not illegal to get paid for travel”
It is “not illegal to have an organization pay for a trip,” emphasized the lawyer. Tarabella traveled to Qatar to visit stadiums being built for the World Cup and “meet workers”.
Tarabella had highlighted the “positive development” of human rights in Qatar in the European Parliament in November – in the name of “Realpolitik” and as “encouragement”, as his lawyer said. It is also possible that the Italian Panzeri advised his friend Tarabella “to say something specific” without him being aware that the Italian MP “moneyed their friendship,” said the lawyer.
On Wednesday, Belgian MEP Marie Arena admitted that she had not reported a business trip paid for by Qatar in May 2022.