While the European Parliament is in the grip of a corruption scandal involving Qatar, investigators now suspect Morocco of having also bribed MEPs.
The Qatargate currently shaking the European Parliament has new ramifications affecting Morocco. At the origin of the scandal, is the payment of bribes paid by Qatar to Eva Kaili, deposed vice-president of the European Parliament. As part of their investigation led by the Brussels judge Michel Claise, the Belgian police questioned Francesco Giorgi, spouse of Eva Kaili who has already released a lot of information on the payments by Qatar. In his confession, he also incriminated Morocco.
Corruption in the European Parliament, after Qatar, Morocco
Originally Francesco Giorgi was parliamentary assistant to an Italian socialist MEP, Pier-Antonio Panzeri, who is, according to the Belgian police, at the heart of a network of corruption. Through the NGO Fight Impunity, of which he is one of the founders, he would have set up a vast system of corruption for the benefit of Qatar, but also perhaps of the Cherifian kingdom.
Western Sahara Alpha and Omega of Moroccan politics
Once again, as in the Pegasus affair, it is Western Sahara that is at the center of Moroccan attention. And the Kingdom still seems to have crossed the red line. The French daily newspaper Le Monde recounts the story of a mysterious spy Moroccan at the center of the Belgian investigation.
At the heart of the investigation is the Moroccan ambassador to Poland, Abderrahim Atmoun, current Moroccan ambassador to Poland. He would have served as an intermediary to establish “a secret pact” with the DGED, the Moroccan secret services, in 2019, says Le Monde. And the newspaper specifies that for the moment already two other MEPs are suspected of having been corrupted, the Italian Andrea Cozzolin and the Belgian Marc Tarabella.
We remember that in the Pegasus scandal, Morocco is suspected of having listened to the phones of many European personalities. In Spain, the Cherifian Kingdom is accused of having put pressure on the head of government at the time, Pedro Sanchez, by using telephone tapping of his wife’s conversations.
The investigation will continue. It is likely that many revelations will be distilled in the coming days.