Jailed MEP Eva Kaili’s domestic partner, Francesco Giorgi, was ordered released from pre-trial remand but will remain under arrest by being fitted with an electronic bracelet, according to an announcement by federal prosecutor’s office in Brussels late Thursday afternoon.
Kaili, Giorgi and a handful of other individuals face felony bribery and money laundering charges related to the explosive “Qatar-gate” furor, which involves alleged influence peddling in the European Parliament in return for cash and gifts.
Giorgi, an Italian national, was arrested on Dec. 9, 2023 along with former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri and Kaili, with whom he has young daughter.
The development comes a day after the Times of London revealed that Giorgi and Panzeri shared the same Belgian prison cell for several weeks, albeit both are charged in the same case.
