Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Qatargate: Italian ex-MEP’s wife and daughter arrested

Qatargate: Italian ex-MEP’s wife and daughter arrested

Pier Antonio Panzeri was reportedly detained Friday after police launched an investigation into alleged illicit lobbying activities by Qatar.
Italian police arrested the wife and daughter of Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former MEP reportedly detained by police in a mushrooming corruption scandal involving alleged illicit lobbying activities by Qatar, according to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera and confirmed by POLITICO.

Belgian police searched 16 homes and detained at least four people in and around Brussels on Friday as part of an inquiry into what prosecutors called “criminal organization, corruption and money laundering” involving a Gulf state, which Belgian press named as World Cup host Qatar. As well as Panzeri, an Italian who served with the center-left Socialists and Democrats group until 2019, European Parliament vice-president Eva Kaili was also detained, according to the Belgian press.

On Friday, Italian uniformed and plain clothes police, acting on a European arrest warrant, detained Panzeri’s wife Maria Colleoni, 68, at home in Calusco d’Adda, close to Bergamo, according to the arrest warrant, seen by POLITICO. They arrested his 38-year-old daughter Silvia later. Their lawyer declined to comment to the paper and did not pick up the phone when contacted by POLITICO.

The warrant accused Panzeri of “intervening politically with members working at the European Parliament for the benefit of Qatar and Morocco.” The warrant accuses the wife and daughter of participating in a criminal organization and of money laundering with a possible sentence of 5 years.

The suspicion of the Brussels investigators is that Qatar used money and gifts to influence economic and political decisions in the European Parliament. Panzeri, who used to chair the European Parliament sub-committee on human rights, is the head of an NGO called Fight Impunity which sets out to “promote the fight against impunity in the event of serious violations of human rights and crimes against humanity.” The NGO was raided yesterday, according to Belgian press reports.

During the searches carried out on Friday, more than half a million euros in cash was discovered at the Brussels home of Panzeri, the Belgian paper le Soir reported.

Kaili was suspended from her party Friday after news of the investigation rocked the European Parliament. 
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×