Judicial officials have told The Associated Press that a Greek European lawmaker charged with corruption in an alleged plot tarnishing EU institutions will remain in detention until at least Dec.
The Greek MEP who has become the face of the European Parliament's widening graft scandal will spend at least another week in jail before attending a postponed pre-trial hearing, her lawyer said Wednesday.Eva Kaili, a 44-year-old former newsreader and until this week one of the vice presidents of the Strasbourg parliament, is one of four suspects charged with receiving bribes from World Cup host Qatar to influence EU policy.The Qatar government has rejected any claims of wrongdoing as "gravely misinformed".
The other three suspects arrested and charged last week were meanwhile questioned, as planned, on Wednesday by the three-judge panel that will decide whether they must stay in detention or be released, a judicial source said. The three are Kaili's partner Francesco Giorgi, who is a parliamentary assistant, Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, the secretary-general of a rule of law campaign group, and Pier Antonio Panzeri, an ex-MEP and founder of another non-profit campaign group.