BRUSSELS: Belgium on Friday detained four people, including a former MEP, as part of a probe into alleged bribery by Qatar at the European parliament, officials said.

The federal prosecutor announced the arrests after 600,000 euros in cash was discovered when police carried out 16 raids in the capital Brussels.

The prosecutors did not specify the identities of the suspects or name the country involved, saying only that it was a “Gulf” state.

But a source close to the case confirmed press reports it was focused on suspected attempts by Qatar to corrupt an Italian Socialist who was a member of the European parliament from 2004 to 2019.

The four people detained were either Italian citizens or originally came from Italy, the source said.

“Today’s searches have enabled investigators to recover about 600,000 euros in cash,” the prosecutors said in a statement.

“Computer equipment and mobile phones were also seized. These elements will be analysed as part of the investigations.”

The statement said investigators “suspected a Gulf country (of influencing) the economic and political decisions of the European parliament”.

It alleged this was done “by paying large sums of money or offering large gifts to” influential figures in the European parliament.

“Four people were arrested for questioning and may be brought before the investigating judge,” prosecutors said.

“Among those questioned was a former member of the European parliament.”

Belgian outlets Le Soir and Knack reported the former MEP detained was the Italian socialist Pier Antonio Panzeri.

Panzeri, 67, currently heads a Brussels-based human rights organisation called Fight Impunity.

According to the reports, the secretary general of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Luca Visentini of Italy, was also among those arrested, along with “a parliamentary assistant” and “an NGO director”.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2022