Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor has requested the European Parliament lift immunity for two Italian Socialist & Democrats (S&D) MEPs, Alessandra Moretti and Elisabetta Gualmini, in the ongoing corruption probe.
The Qatargate scandal, which erupted in 2022, alleges that Qatar and Morocco bribed EU officials to influence decisions. This led to multiple arrests and significant political fallout.
Moretti and Gualmini, both members of Italy’s Democratic Party, are reportedly linked to the scandal through texts sent to Antonio Panzeri, an Italian MEP indicted last December. Gualmini’s name first appeared in the case file in November 2022.
The request to lift their immunity will be announced at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg next Monday. It will then move to the legal affairs committee (JURI) for review. JURI will draft a report and vote on whether to recommend lifting immunity. The final decision will be made in a secret plenary vote, typically by a show of hands.
Both MEPs have denied involvement, stating they learned of the allegations from the press.
They have suspended themselves from the S&D group to cooperate fully with the judiciary and underline their non-involvement. The Democratic Party delegation has expressed confidence in the “complete non-involvement” of Moretti and Gualmini. The investigation continues to unfold, with more revelations expected.