BRUSSELS: Two Belgian members of the European Parliament have acknowledged they had failed to declare paid trips to Qatar, amid an influence-trafficking scandal that has rocked the European Union assembly.

On Sunday the lawyer for Belgian socialist MEP Marc Tarabella acknowledged his client had travelled to Qatar in February 2020 at the expense of the Gulf state, but had not declared the trip, as parliament rules required him to do.

The development came four days after another Belgian member of the parliament’s centre-left Social and Democrats group, Maria Arena, admitted she

had “forgotten” to declare a similar expenses-paid trip to Qatar in May last year.

Belgian police conducted a string of raids last month on the addresses of MEPs, former MEPs and lobbyists that turned up a total 1.5 million euros in cash.

There are suspicions that the money was tied to alleged graft in the European Parliament benefiting Qatar, which denies having a role in any wrongdoing.

The scandal has shaken the European Parliament.

Four suspects have been arrested, including one of the assembly’s vice presidents, Greek MEP Eva Kaili. The Belgian authorities have asked for Tarabella’s immunity to be lifted.

“He was invited (to Qatar) for a congress. The organisers paid,” Tarabella’s lawyer Maxim Toller told Belgian broadcaster RTL on Sunday.

“He hasn’t declared it yet... He then went to Ghana and then there was Covid... His colleague reminded him to do it, but time ran out,” Toller said.

On Wednesday, Arena said her office had “forgotten” to declare her trip to Qatar, telling the Belgian press “the document was quite complicated to fill in”.

Tarabella is close to Pier-Antonio Panzeri, an Italian former MEP from whose house 600,000 euros in cash were seized as part of the inquiry.

Tarabella, whose house was also raided, has denied involvement in the alleged scandal.

His lawyer said he would “put things in order”.

“There is nothing illegal about a trip paid for by an organisation,” Toller said.

Tarabella had gone to Qatar to see stadiums built for the football World Cup “and meet workers”.

In November the MEP had told the European Parliament Qatar had made “positive” steps to improving human rights. Toller said this was “realpolitik” designed to “encourage” Qatar.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2023