Qatargate: Francesco Giorgi’s “sings” during 10-hour deposition to the authorities

Italian daily Corriere della Serra today reported on the Qatargate corruption scandal rocking the European Parliament, new details of the testimony given by Francesco Giorgi, Eva Kaili’s partner, who was arrested along with her and two others.

According to the publication, Giorgi “sung” during his interrogation last Saturday (10/12).

“He spoke for ten hours forcing the chief prosecutor of the investigation to postpone the questioning of the remaining persons until the next day. He mentioned names and surnames, gave explanations, said to whom the money was trafficked from the NGO Fight Impunity (also founded by the also accused for Qatargate, Italian former MEP Antonio Panzeri), referred to large donations thanks to prestige given to the NGO by members of the Honorary Council which included Nobel laureates, ex-commissioners and ex-prime ministers” reports the Italian newspaper.

According to the paper, Giorgi took full responsibility for the money found by applying, as pointed out, “Eva Kaili’s strategy: to separate one’s position from the other, trying to save the one who has the most to lose, such as Ms. Kaili as a mother and as a person whose prestige is affected”.

According to Corriere della Serra, Giorgi “broke down” and admitted the facts, that is, that he and he alone received the money found in the apartment in the center of Brussels where he lived with Eva Kaili. Some of that money was found in Ms. Kaili’s father’s suitcase when he was stopped by police outside the Sofitel hotel in the Belgian capital on December 9. “Everything happened in those hours, when Kaili saw the money, she didn’t get a convincing answer about its origin and immediately asked them to leave the house. Her father took it upon himself to be the courier because there was no one else,” was the explanation he gave.

And a second investigation against Eva Kaili

The Italian newspaper also highlights the second investigation against Eva Kaili that became known yesterday for fraud against the EU budget, in relation to the management of parliamentary compensation, and in particular with regard to the remuneration of accredited parliamentary assistants.

Finally, the publication mentions the investigation launched in Athens by the Economic Prosecutor’s Office into the crimes of bribery and money laundering by Eva Kaili, with the condition that the MEP is not prosecuted in Belgium for the same facts.

Mr. Christos Bardakis commissioned two of his assistant prosecutors to investigate the verification of the commission by Eva Kaili of the criminal acts of bribing a political person and money laundering, in conjunction with article 57, paragraph 4 of the Criminal Code (on obstruction of new criminal prosecution) as well as the investigation of any other offense prosecuted ex officio.

According to information, based on the order of Mr. Bardakis, the two assistant prosecutors will immediately request from the Belgian judicial authorities, through judicial assistance, in cooperation with the national member of Eurojust for Greece, copies of the case file that has been filed so far for the MEP as well as the relevant certificate for the procedural course of the investigation.

The economic prosecutors will await Belgium’s answers as a condition for the investigation to begin in Greece is that there has not been a prosecution in Belgium for the same acts against Eva Kaili.