MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2022) Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday expressed his support for European Parliament President Roberta Metsola amid the ongoing corruption scandal involving European lawmakers.
Last week, Belgian authorities carried out several arrests and searches in Brussels in connection with an investigation into allegations of corruption in the European Parliament associated with the holding of the World Cup in Qatar and illicit lobbying in favor of the Gulf monarchy.
"We are very worried about the reports about the corruption in the EU Parliament, I am also very much supporting the EU Parliament President, Metsola. I think she made some excellent interventions over the last 48 hours. She will be with us tomorrow at the EU Council and I will give her my full support in her work to get to the bottom of this," Rutte said upon arriving at the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Brussels.
According to media reports, during the investigation into possible corruption crimes in the European Parliament, the police found more than 1.5 million Euros ($1,59 million) in cash in the house of former Italian EP member Pier Antonio Panzeri and in the house of Eva Kaili of Greece, who was stripped of her EU vice-president role on the same day, and her partner Francesco Giorgi.
Earlier in the day, the European newspaper Politico reported that about 10 offices of EP members have been sealed by the European Parliament's security services.
