A Belgium court ruled former European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili will remain in jail on corruption charges through Christmas. File Photo by Jalal Morchidi/EPA-EFE
Dec. 23 (UPI) — Former European Union leader and Greek politician Eva Kaili will remain in a Belgian jail for Christmas after her attorneys failed on Thursday to get her released while awaiting her case on corruption charges.
Belgian authorities arrested Kaili, the former European Parliament vice president, and three others about two weeks ago in connection with an investigation over illegal lobbying claims against Qatar.
Her attorneys in a hearing Thursday said that Kaili has been cooperative in their investigation and that releasing her with an electronic monitoring bracelet was appropriate.
“She denies any corruption on her part, and you all know that I have decided not to communicate in this case because this investigation is being carried out by the judicial authorities and nowhere else,” Andre Risopolous, one of her attorneys said.
Instead, the court extended the pre-trial detention of Kaili for one month, giving her the option to appeal within 24 hours. She would then appear before a chamber at the Brussels court of appeal within 15 days.
Kaili and her husband, Italian Francesco Giorgi, were among several people arrested on Dec. 9 as part of a sting organized by Belgian authorities investigating corruption, money laundering, and foreign influence peddling linked to the European Parliament.
The Qatar government has rejected any claims that it tried to influence peddle with Kaili or any members of the European Parliament.
“There are suspicions that individuals in political and/or strategic positions within the European Parliament were paid large sums or offered substantial gifts to influence the decisions of the Parliament,” Brussels prosecutors have said.
