Il Qatargate is enriched with new details. Antonio Panzeri he provided further details before the investigators of the Central Office for the Repression of Corruption (OCRC) in Brussels. The 67-year-old former Italian MEP went over the aspects of the alleged corruption plan he allegedly implemented to the detriment of the European Parliament and to the advantage of Morocco, Qatar and Mauritania in front of the Belgian magistrates.
Panzeri’s revelations
French newspapers The evening e Knacktogether with the Italian newspaper The Republicthey got their hands on verbal of the Panzeri hearings – which took place between 2 and 13 February last – as well as other documents from the investigation file. Three names are mentioned in one passage: Brando Benifei, Andrea Cozzolino and Alessandra Moretti. According to Panzeri, and as reported by the media who consulted the documents, the three MEPs of the Democratic Party would have been elected in Europe in 2019 thanks to the votes, defined as decisive, of the Moroccan community in their respective colleges.
In that year Panzeri did not apply. He registers the non-profit association “Fight Impunity” in Brussels and continues to cultivate good relations with the Moroccan state. Abderrahim AtmounMorocco’s ambassador in Warsaw, then allegedly asked him to name someone who “could help him in Italy“.
“I gave them the names of Benifei, Moretti and Cozzolino. These MPs were represented by their respective assistants at an important encounter which was held in Rome with Atmoun and the person in charge of Moroccan citizens in the world whose name I no longer remember“, Panzeri, second, allegedly put it on the record Republic.
About Moretti, Panzeri would have declared the following: “Atmoun met Moretti in Veneto. He was married to an Italian woman and occasionally traveled to this region to see his family. Moretti has maintained relations with Atmoun and I know that she too, with her assistant, has already been to Warsaw and Morocco“.
The (alleged) role of the Moroccan community in Italy
The former MEP would also have highlighted that the Italian-Moroccan community it is the second foreign community in Italy. And that the Italians of Moroccan origin who voted would be “decisive” for the purpose of winning the three names indicated by Panzeri. “Indeed, the three MPs were elected with very little difference from their competitors“, he would have added, always referring to Benifei, Moretti and Cozzolino.
These MPs would be represented by their respective MPs assistants in a meeting organized in Rome by Atmoun. However, Panzeri did not specify what would be said during this interview, nor did he mention money or gifts.
Panzeri then spoke of his relationship with Atmoun, of a friendship that would go on for over ten years and would be consolidated by reciprocal invitations and luxury travel. In 2014 Atmoun”he told me he wanted to help me with my election campaign“. Result: Panzeri is elected.
Replies and replies
“I have never asked Mr. Panzeri for any support from a foreign community“, defended Alessandra Moretti. “He told me (Panzeri ed) that the Moroccan community supported some candidates, including me, but I don’t know if it was true“, he then added, explaining that he personally met Atmoun in 2019 “because Mr. Panzeri introduced him to me as a Moroccan diplomat“. It’s still: “We have never discussed particular issues, and in recent years I have not been interested in or involved in matters relating to Morocco” concluded Moretti.
“I have never had direct contact, either through my assistants, with Mr. Atmoun, in general or for the electoral campaign. I remember the proposal by Panzeri and his assistant Meroni for a meeting in Rome where it was said that there could be good contacts to meet for the elections and they had mentioned Atmoun, but I didn’t go and I didn’t send anyone to participate“, instead replied Benifei in a note.