Qatargate: Former MEP pleads guilty, agrees to give prosecutors information
A key suspect in a spreading EU graft scandal, former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, has cut a deal to divulge information about countries involved and bribes made, Belgian prosecutors said Tuesday.
In return, he would get a "limited sentence" including imprisonment, a fine and confiscation of one million euros ($1.1 million) in assets, the prosecutors said in a statement.
The development was a dramatic turn in the corruption scandal in which prosecutors suspect Qatar and Morocco funnelled bribes through Panzeri and other figures to influence decisions in the European Parliament.
Qatar has denied any wrongdoing and Morocco has accused the media of making unjustified "attacks".
The allegations have roiled the parliament and sparked unease in other EU institutions, with concerns voiced that their public credibility could be shaken.
Panzeri is one of four suspects held in Belgium following police raids on addresses last month that turned up 1.5 million euros in cash.
The searches were conducted in the homes and offices of MEPs, former MEPs, parliamentary aides, and the heads of NGOs that dealt with the parliament.
The other three suspects are: Greek MEP Eva Kaili, stripped of...