Sawt Falasteen - Greek MEP in Qatar scandal protests innocence but remains in jail

Eva Kaili, a 44-year-old former newsreader and until this week one of the vice presidents of the Strasbourg parliament, is one of four suspects charged with receiving bribes from World Cup host Qatar to influence EU policy.

The Qatar government has rejected any claims of wrongdoing as "gravely misinformed".

Kaili's lawyers have told AFP that she is innocent and would fight the charges.

The four were arrested last week as Belgian police conducted a series of searches on the homes and offices of politicians, lobbyists and parliamentary assistants and seized around 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) in cash.

The four were due to appear in pre-trial hearing in Brussels on Wednesday to discover whether they are to remain in custody pending their eventual trial and as the investigation continues.

- Case split -

But Kaili's Brussels lawyer, Andre Risopoulos, told AFP she was unable to attend the hearing because of a staff strike at her detention centre, and that her case would be separated from that of her alleged accomplices.

Those are her partner, Francesco Giorgi, former MEP turned lobbyist Pier Panzeri and Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, who leads the human rights pressure group "No Peace without Justice".

"The case has been split," Risopoulos said, adding that she was now expecting a custody hearing on December 22.

Earlier, Kaili's lawyer in Athens, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, insisted that she was innocent and "did not know of the existence" of the cash found at her Brussels home.

Dimitrakopoulos suggested Kaili's Italian boyfriend, Giorgi, might have "answers about the existence of this cash".

Giorgi was remanded in custody for at least a further month, his lawyer Pierre Monville said. The fate of the other two suspects was not immediately clear.

Qatar is a key energy supplier to Europe, and plays an important intermediary role in several diplomatic tangles.

But it has also been criticised for the alleged mistreatment of migrant workers, most notoriously those who built the World Cup stadiums.

As Kaili remained in jail, her colleagues in the Strasbourg parliament scrambled to distance themselves from the scandal, stripping her of her vice presidential role and promising a wave of transparency reforms.

- Hotel room -

She is the only serving MEP to have been charged. But several more have had their offices put under police seal.

A Belgian judicial source, confirming reports in Belgian newspapers Le Soir and Knack, said 600,000 euros were found at Panzeri's home, 150,000 euros in Kaili's flat and 750,000 in her father's hotel room.

Kaili was one of six people detained. Four have been charged with "criminal organisation, corruption and money laundering" and two released.

One of those released was Luca Visentini, the general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, a global labour body that has pushed Qatar on labour rights.

T.Khatib--SF-PST