Cash taken for the election campaign of the International Confederation of Trade Unions. To accept them dragged Luca Visentiniat the top of the world union, in the so-called Qatargatethe investigation by the Belgian judiciary into the “clique” maneuvered by Antonio Panzeri and which involved the European Parliament. Money arrived from the NGO “Fight Impunity”, of which Panzeri was president, and delivered in three envelopes. “I accepted this cash donation for the quality of the donor and for his non-profit nature – says Visentini now-. I have not been asked or asked for anything in return for the money and no conditions of any kind have been placed on this donation. This donation has not been linked to any attempt to bribe, influence my union position on Qatar or other issues, or interfere with my or the union’s autonomy and independence. I openly reject any and all possible allegations in this regard as totally false.”
The Brussels magistrates partially believed his version and after his arrest on 9 December they released him on 11 December. “Everything I did was done in good faith. Being involved in this investigation has come as a shock to me and my family, and I will do whatever it takes to clarify the situation and prove my innocence.”
But let’s get back to the money. The cash payments from Panzeri’s NGO, Visentini explained to the magistrates, were used to “repay some of the costs of my campaign for the ITUC Congress (International Confederation of Trade Unions)” and to “pay for travel to the Congress (held in Melbourne ndr) for trade unions that have limited or no financial means”. Nothing strange, argues the trade unionist, and in any case “in accordance with the practices of the ITUC”. Even if the method of cash and envelopes does not fully convince the investigators. Visentini’s bank transactions also ended up under the scrutiny of the magistrates: 140 thousand euros in two years passed from Belgium to Italy. But even these figures would have an explanation, it would in fact be a question of regular transfers for the payment of some mortgages.
As for the accusation of having had an eye for the Emirate, Visentini rejects everything to the sender: “My position towards Qatar has not changed over time and speaks for itself, since I have always clarified publicly that the situation today is still not satisfactory and that it is necessary to exert further pressure on Qatar and on the companies operating in the country to obtain full protection of human and workers’ rights”.