Greek authorities seize land belonging to MEP accused of corruption

The Greek anti-money laundering authority seized, this Thursday, a land of 7000 square meters that the Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili and her companion, Francesco Giorgi, had bought on the island of Paros.

The seizure of this land was decided within the scope of the preliminary criminal investigation that the Greek economic crimes prosecutor opened against the former vice-president of the European Parliament for the alleged commission of crimes of money laundering and passive corruption.

According to the press, the measure could pave the way for a criminal case against Eva Kaili in Greece, if it is proven that the couple bought the land with money from illegal activities.

The common bank account that the couple used to purchase the property was also frozen, said the same sources.

Kaili and Giorgi are currently in pretrial detention in Brussels, both charged with the crimes of participation in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption in the context of investigations into an alleged bribery scheme in the European Parliament by Qatar and Morocco, known as Catargate.

Keeping Kaili in prison or leaving her free with an electronic bracelet will be decided by the court, as her Belgian lawyer, André Risopoulos, said at the end of an audience at the Palace of Justice in Brussels.

Last week, the Greek anti-money laundering authority seized several properties, bank accounts and businesses of Eva Kaili and her closest family members in Greece, in order to quickly locate and block the possible transfer of money or personal property that they could prove the crime of passive bribery or money laundering.

The MEP’s Greek lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, assured that the purchase of land on the Greek island of Paros was completely legal and justified the money paid with Kaili’s fees and income as a member of the European Parliament.

The Greek socialist was removed from the vice-presidency of the European Parliament, but still retains the position of MEP, as a non-attached member.

In addition to her partner, a parliamentary assistant at the European Parliament, the father of the MEP, Alexandre Kailis, was also involved in the process, who was arrested on the 9th in a hotel in Brussels, with a suitcase full of money with which he intended to escape.

The criminal investigation in Greece only addresses the alleged crimes committed by Kaili that the Belgian authorities did not include in the indictment against the MEP, as no one can be accused or prosecuted twice for the same crime.