European Union Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell, on Monday, reacted to reports of four people charged for allegedly receiving money and gifts from Qatar to influence decisions in the European Parliament.
According to Borell, the news is “very worrisome”.
A Belgian judge charged four people over allegedly receiving money and gifts from the Gulf state to influence decisions in the European Parliament, putting the credibility of the European Union at stake.
Prosecutors searched 16 houses and seized 600,000 euros ($631,800) in Brussels on Friday as part of an investigation into money laundering and corruption.
Six people were initially detained. Four have been charged and two released, prosecutors said in a statement on Sunday. They did not name any of those involved.
Prosecutors said they had suspected for months that a Gulf state was trying to influence decisions in Brussels.
Borrell said the investigation did not involve anyone from the EU’s diplomatic service.
“There is nothing and no one being referred to neither from the External Action Service nor from the delegations,” he said.
A Qatari official said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera on Sunday night that the country “categorically rejects any attempts to associate it with accusations of misconduct” as various media outlets reported that Qatar was the Gulf state at the centre of the allegations.
“Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed.
“The State of Qatar works through institution-to-institution engagement and operates in full compliance with international laws and regulations,” the official added.
European Economics Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni told Italy’s Rai 3 television that the case appeared to be “very serious”.
“If it were confirmed that someone took money to try to influence the opinion of the European Parliament, it will really be one of the most dramatic stories of corruption in recent years,” he added.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Monday that the news is “damaging”.
“This is a scandal that we need to expose the truth around so we can ensure it doesn’t happen again,” Coveney told reporters in Brussels.
The credibility of the European Union is at stake, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned on Monday.
“This is an unbelievable incident which has to be cleared up completely with the full force of law,” she told reporters as she arrived for a meeting with her EU counterparts in Brussels.
AlJazeera
