More questions than answers as EU corruption scandal unfolds
Brussels (AP): No one answers the door or the phone at the offices of the two campaign groups linked to a cash-for-favours corruption scandal at the European Union's parliament, allegedly involving Qatar. No light is visible inside.
No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), a pro-human rights and democracy organisation, and Fight Impunity, which seeks to bring rights abusers to book, share the same address, on prime real estate in the governmental quarter of the Belgian capital.
The heads of the two organizations are among four people charged since December 9 with corruption, participation in a criminal group and money laundering.
Prosecutors said in a statement that they suspect certain European lawmakers and aides "were paid large sums of money or offered substantial gifts to influence parliament's decisions".
Qatar rejects allegations that it's involved. The Gulf country that's hosting the soccer World Cup has gone to considerable trouble to boost its public image and defend itself against extensive criticism in the West over its human rights record. It has also lobbied the EU recently on visa and air transport issues.
The lawyer for Fight Impunity President Pier Antonio Panzeri is not talking. He declined to comment about his client's role in an affair that has shaken the European Parliament and halted the assembly's work on Qatar-related files.
The secretary-general of NPWJ, Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, has left jail but must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. On its Italian website, after he stepped down, the group praised his work, saying it hopes "the ongoing investigation will demonstrate the correctness of his actions".
Charged along with them are Eva Kaili, who was removed as an EU parliament vice president after the charges were laid, and her partner Francesco Giorgi, a parliamentary assistant.
Pictures they've posted on social media project the image of an attractive and ambitious Mediterranean jet-set couple.
Following months of investigations, police have so far launched more than 20 raids, mostly in Belgium but also in Italy.
Hundreds of thousands of euros have been found in Brussels: at an apartment and in a suitcase at a hotel not far from the parliament.
Mobile telephones, computer equipment and the data of 10 parliamentary assistants were seized.
Taking to Twitter, Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne described what he calls the "Qatargate" investigation as a "game changer".
It was achieved, he said, "partly thanks to years of work by State Security", the country's intelligence agency.
According to what Italian newspaper La Repubblica and Belgian daily Le Soir said were transcripts they had obtained of his December 10 statements to prosecutors, Giorgi allegedly confessed to managing money on behalf of an "organisation" led by Panzeri that dealt with Qatari and Moroccan representatives.
"I did it all for money, which I needed,'' Giorgi told prosecutors, according to La Repubblica.
He tried to protect his partner Kaili, a 44-year-old Greek former TV presenter with whom he has an infant daughter, asking that she be released from jail. Kaili's lawyer has said she knew nothing about the money.
Giorgi arrived in Belgium in 2009. He made a career at the parliament with the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S and D) group.
He met Panzeri, at the time an EU lawmaker, at a conference. "I asked him to give me an internship, and he did,'' Giorgi said in his statement.
Panzeri became his mentor, made him an assistant and introduced him around, the Italian newspaper said.
Giorgi expressed relief that the scheme had been uncovered. He described himself as a simple person who got in over his head due to a moral obligation he felt toward Panzeri.
Up until his arrest, Giorgi worked as an assistant for another S and D lawmaker, Andrea Cozzolino.
Italy's centre-left Democratic Party suspended Cozzolino on Friday while the probe goes on. He temporarily withdrew from the S and D.
In Italy last weekend, Panzeri's wife, Maria Dolores Colleoni, and daughter, Silvia Panzeri, were taken into custody on a European arrest warrant.
A court in Brescia ordered them to be placed under house arrest, one of their lawyers told AP.
On Friday, a Milan judicial source confirmed to AP that 17,000 euros (USD 18,075) were seized during a search of Panzeri's house, where his wife is staying, in Calusco d'Adda in the Bergamo province northeast of Milan.
Police also seized computers, cell phones, watches and documents.
Police separately found a key to a safe deposit box in the house of Giorgi's parents in the Milan suburb of Abbiategrasso, leading investigators to discover 20,000 euros (USD 21,260) in cash.
Panzeri's wife is expected to appear in court again on Monday, when a panel of judges will decide whether to extradite her to Belgium.
A similar hearing will be held on Tuesday for their daughter. Kaili is due to face court in Brussels on Thursday.
The source in Milan, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said Italian investigators were looking at other people but declined to identify them.
The source said they were not EU lawmakers or people associated with the campaign groups.
Many questions remain unanswered about the scandal. What Qatari officials, if any, were involved? Why target the EU's parliament? How wide is the investigators' net?
What was the role of Panzeri, the former lawmaker and president of Fight Impunity?
No light shines in his office, but Panzeri's own words on his group's website could point the way: "Martin Luther King Jr. once said, let us realise the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. If we are to continue to move towards justice, accountability must be our guiding light."
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Will not tolerate bias of Congress anymore: Muslim organisations of Karnataka slam party
Bengaluru: Representatives of leading Muslim organisations, associations and unions from across Karnataka have issued a strong and sharply worded joint statement, declaring that the Muslim community “will no longer tolerate” what they described as the biased attitude of the Congress party towards the community and its leaders.
The organisations said the united support extended by Muslims in the state was the main reason for the Congress party coming to power. However, they alleged that the party and its government are not treating Muslims with dignity, and that there is growing anguish within the community over being repeatedly insulted by denial of proper representation in political appointments and key positions in the bureaucracy.
Referring to the Davangere by-election and recent developments, the statement said the Congress party appears to have sent a clear message to Muslims: “You are merely a vote bank for us. Your job is only to vote for the Congress party. Positions, status, representation and opportunities in the party are alms that we give. If you question your rights or the injustice done to you, disciplinary action will be taken.”
The organisations said this approach is unacceptable and warned that the community will no longer remain silent. They questioned the party’s disciplinary actions against certain Muslim leaders, asking what action had been taken in similar situations in the past involving others. “Otherwise, a serious question arises as to whether the party’s disciplinary rules are applicable only to one community,” the statement said.
Calling the issue one of dignity, the organisations said it is not just about a few individuals but concerns the entire Muslim community. They criticised the Congress for taking unilateral decisions without consulting religious and social leaders and said such actions cannot be justified as mere political decisions.
The statement also accused the party of portraying Muslims as being wrong for asking for fair representation. It said it is not fair to expect the community to campaign for the party without giving them tickets that should have been given fairly, and then initiate disciplinary action on what were described as trivial grounds. The organisations termed the attitude of “you should have simply obeyed what we said” as highly condemnable.
They also expressed concern over what they described as attempts by the party leadership to pit leaders of the Muslim community against each other. At the same time, the statement criticised certain leaders within the community for choosing to pursue personal interests instead of standing firmly against what it called discriminatory policies.
Drawing a comparison, the organisations said that when leaders from some communities commit even serious mistakes or make direct statements against the party, no action is taken and they are instead rewarded. “But if leaders from a particular community deviate even slightly from the party’s diktat, they are subjected to severe punishment this is not fair, this is not acceptable,” the statement said.
Warning of political consequences, the organisations said such discriminatory behaviour will harm the Congress party in the coming days and could lead to a serious setback. They said Muslims had supported the party to ensure a secular government based on constitutional values and to prevent divisive forces from gaining power. However, treating this support as a weakness and assuming that the community has no alternative would prove “politically very costly” for the party.
The organisations strongly condemned what they termed as mistreatment of the community in the name of political calculation and demanded that such unilateral decisions be stopped. They also called for the present decision to be reconsidered.
The statement was issued by a wide group of leaders and organisations, including Maulana Syed Tanveer Hashmi, President, Muslim Muttahida Council, Vijayapura; Abdul Khadeer Saheb, President, Shaheen Group of Educational Institutions, Bidar; Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Nadvi, President, Welfare of Humanity Foundation, Bengaluru; K. S. Mohammed Masood, President, The Muslim Central Committee, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District and former President of the State Minorities Commission; Haji Mohammed Hanif, General Secretary, The Muslim Central Committee, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District; Muhammad Maula, President, Udupi District Muslim Okkuta; Yaseen Malpe, Immediate Past President, Udupi District Muslim Okkuta; Maulana Abdul Raqeeb MJ Nadvi, General Secretary, Majlis E Islah Wa Tanzeem, Bhatkal; Ashraf Ali Basheer, Convenor, Muslim Voice of Karnataka, Hubballi; Dr Abdul Kareem, former President, Karnataka State Minorities Commission, Hubballi; K. Ashraf, President, Dakshina Kannada District Muslim Okkuta; Muhammad Hanif, Secretary, Dakshina Kannada District Muslim Okkuta; Maulana Abdul Azeez Darimi, Leader, Sunni Yuvajana Sangha Karnataka; Haji Abubakar Nejar, District President, Sunni Samyukta Jamaath, Udupi District; Mohammad Rafiq, District President, Karnataka Muslim Jamaath, Udupi District; Rafiuddin Kudroli, President, Uniwef Mangaluru; Kasim Shuaiburrahman Qureshi, President, All India Jamiatul Qureshi, Karnataka; Afzal Mahmood, Secretary, Karnataka Muslim Political Forum, Gulbarga; Jabbar Kalaburagi, President, Karnataka Muslim Unity, Bagalkote; Nisar Ahmed, State Coordinator, Eddelu Karnataka, Mangaluru; Naqwa Yahya Malpe, President, Namma Naada Okkoota, Udupi District; Afsar, President, Karnataka Souharda Okkoota, Mandya; Advocate Abdul Jabbar Gola, Vice President, Joint Action Committee, Gulbarga; Advocate Anshad Palya, State Committee Member, All India Lawyers Association, Karnataka and Leader, Hassan District Muslim Organisations Federation; Haji Suleiman Saheb, President, Thirthahalli Taluk Joint Muslim Federation; and Mujahid Pasha of Al Jamaatul Quraish Trust, Basavakalyan.
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