Former Democratic Party MEP Antonio Panzeri, the secretary general of the International Confederation of Trade Unions (Ituc), Luca Visentini, a director of an NGO and a parliamentary assistant were allegedly arrested this morning in Brussels. The handcuffs were allegedly released at the end of an operation by the Belgian police on an alleged case of corruption and money laundering which allegedly concerns Qatar. The country that is hosting the World Cup has signed agreements with Germany, Italy and France for the supply of liquefied natural gas.
The investigation started four months ago. The news was released by the Belgian newspaper The evening. The website states that the investigators “suspect that a Gulf country is trying to influence the economic and political decisions of the European Parliament (…) by paying large sums of money or offering significant gifts to third parties who hold a political and/or significant strategic position within the European Parliament’. Qatar is not explicitly mentioned, «but several well-informed sources told a The evening ea to the other Belgian media Knack that it is the host country of the football World Cup.