London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jun 24, 2026

Qatargate suspect Eva Kaili set for release to house arrest

Qatargate suspect Eva Kaili set for release to house arrest

The European Parliament corruption probe ensnared the celebrity Greek politician, who has been detained since December.

Eva Kaili, one of the main suspects in a cash-for-influence corruption probe at the European Parliament, is moving from jail to house arrest pending a trial, Belgian authorities announced Wednesday.

Kaili, a Greek celebrity politician, was among the first to be arrested last December, when authorities revealed a sprawling investigation into whether foreign countries, including Qatar and Morocco, were bribing EU lawmakers.

The so-called Qatargate probe also ensnared Kaili’s partner, Francesco Giorgi, and several other current and former EU lawmakers, including former Italian EU lawmaker Pier Antonio Panzeri — the alleged ringleader of a bribery network who struck a plea deal with Belgian investigators in January.

Since then, all the detained suspects have been released with an electronic monitoring tag, leaving Kaili as the only one in jail. She has maintained her innocence throughout the process.

After Wednesday’s decision, Kaili will soon join her fellow suspects with an electronic tag under house arrest, leaving Haren prison, in the north of Brussels. The transfer process normally takes several days.

Once out, she will head back to her apartment mere steps from the European Parliament — the institution she stands accused of helping corrupt.

“I can confirm to you that Mrs. Eva Kaili can go home because she was put under electronic monitoring by investigative judge Claise,” said Sven Mary, Kaili’s lawyer, referencing the Belgian judge leading the probe, Michel Claise. “At the moment, I don’t want to give any further comment besides that this decision seems only logical to me.”

Giorgi, Kaili’s partner, is also out of jail under house arrest but is not living in Kaili’s apartment, according to two people familiar with the arrangement.

Kaili’s release starts a new chapter in the authorities’ monthslong attempt to sort out who may have been under the sway of foreign governments while working in Parliament. But it doesn’t mean that the process is moving toward a trial any time soon, said Christian De Valkeneer, a professor of criminal law at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

“It doesn’t presume that the investigation is finished,” he said. In Belgium, De Valkeneer added, being released under electronic surveillance is considered an “extension of the arrest warrant, but with the only difference that the warrant is not executed in a prison.”

Still, the authorities will soon no longer have anyone in jail, raising questions about where the investigation stands.

For months, the prosecutors’ net only widened, as police arrested two more EU lawmakers, Belgian Marc Tarabella and Italian Andrea Cozzolino, as well as an accountant in Italy, Monica Bellini.

Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino belongs to the S&D group


But the action has slowed in recent weeks, with no more arrests and the gradual release of suspects to house arrest. Cozzolino and Bellini are also both still in Italy, where local judges have been asking Belgium for more information before making a decision on an extradition request.

Throughout it all, Kaili’s detention has become the subject of heated debate about confinement conditions in the Belgian prison system.

Kaili’s lawyers have kept up a steady drumbeat protesting her detention, even likening her situation to “torture” at one point. They stressed that Kaili had a 2-year-old child at home, and argued the two should be together. Italian European Parliament members also wrote a letter in February denouncing Kaili’s treatment.

Similarly, in Italy, lawyers for the two local suspects, Cozzolino and Bellini, argued it would be inhumane to transfer their clients to Belgium’s jail cells. Essentially, they alleged, Belgian prosecutors wanted to put people in jail until they flip.

Belgian authorities have mostly avoided responding publicly to the allegations about detention conditions.

Deborah Bergamini, an Italian parliament member, recently became the first politician to visit Kaili in jail. In a recent interview, the Italian lawmaker recalled Kaili’s dark description of her early days in jail.

“For the first six weeks, she was in a state of deep desperation and had suicidal thoughts,” Bergamini told POLITICO several days after her visit on March 31. “But after the first six weeks this changed. For the first sixteen hours, there was no running water, she couldn’t wash herself and couldn’t keep warm.”

Kaili, Bergamini said, felt she was being held in jail “as a trophy.” Several times, Bergamini added, Kaili reiterated the refrain: “I am subject to a political prosecution.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Kaili’s team started quickly spinning her move to house arrest as a step forward in the fight to clear her name.

“Eva Kaili comes out of prison with her head high and with dignity, she has not confessed to crimes she has not committed,” said the lawmaker’s Greek lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos. “She will fight for her innocence until the end.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Biotechnology Sector Receives Increased Public Funding to Support Regional Growth
Police Chiefs Update National Protest Management Guidelines Amid Rising Demonstration Activity
UK Aviation Regulator Expands Support for Regional Airports to Strengthen Domestic Routes
CMA Launches Investigation Into Retail Pricing Across UK Grocery Sector
UK Energy Operator Warns of Winter Supply Pressures Despite Stable Overall Grid Outlook
UK Research Council Expands Funding for Regional Biotechnology and Life Sciences Clusters
UK Compensation Scheme for Post Office Horizon Scandal Reaches 80 Percent Completion
Police Chiefs Issue Updated National Guidance on Managing Large Public Demonstrations
UK Expands Regional Airport Funding Scheme to Boost Domestic Connectivity
UK Competition Watchdog Launches Inquiry Into Grocery Pricing Practices
National Grid Warns of Tight Energy Management Needs During Upcoming Winter Peak Demand
UK Education Department Introduces National Standards for AI Use in Secondary Schools
UK High Court Clears North Sea Carbon Capture Project After Final Legal Challenge Fails
Northern Ireland Leaders Hold Emergency Talks on Trade Disruption Under Windsor Framework
Welsh Government Moves to Expand Social Housing in Response to Severe Affordability Pressures
UK Economy Sees Unexpected Rise in Business Investment in Second Quarter, ONS Data Shows
Scottish Government Unveils Multi-Billion Pound Investment Plan for Renewable Energy and Grid Expansion
UK and EU Agree Enhanced Defence Cooperation Pact Covering Intelligence and North Sea Security
Prime Minister Orders Independent Review of NHS Performance After Record Waiting Lists
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 5 Percent as Services Inflation Remains Persistent
UK Heatwave Disrupts Transport, Healthcare and Public Services as Red Weather Alerts Expand Nationwide
Barclays Warns of Growing Cyber Risk Divide Between Large UK Firms and Micro Businesses
European Defence Plans Including Ukraine Integration Prompt UK Strategic Reassessment
UK Equity Markets React as US–Iran Peace Roadmap Eases Oil Price Pressures
United Kingdom Expands Global Clean Energy Partnerships With Brazil, Morocco and Tanzania
Lord David Frost Urges Incoming UK Leadership to Abandon EU Regulatory Reset Strategy
Housing Groups Support Amendment to Strengthen Fire and Gas Safety Access Powers in Social Housing
South London NHS Estates Staff Ballot on Industrial Action Over Pay Structures in Hospital Maintenance Services
United Kingdom Government Invests £60 Million in AI Research Labs at Oxford and University College London
Barclays Cyber Security Report Highlights Rising Threat Exposure Among UK Small Businesses in AI-Driven Attacks
UK Met Office Heatwave Triggers Transport Warnings as Rail Operators Urge Cancellations Amid Infrastructure Strain
South London NHS Estates Workers Ballot for Strike Action Over Pay Disputes Across Major London Hospitals
Barclays Warns of Severe Cyber Security Gap Between Large Corporations and Small Businesses in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom Government Allocates £60 Million for Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratories at Oxford and UCL
National Health Service Approves Teplizumab Treatment to Delay Onset of Type One Diabetes in First European Rollout
Met Office Issues Rare Red Extreme Heat Warning Across London, South East and West Midlands as Transport and Health Systems Face Disruption
Prime Minister Keir Starmer Resigns After Labour Party Revolt Following Economic Stagnation and Local Election Losses
United Kingdom Economy Contracts for Second Consecutive Month as Private Sector Weakens and Job Loss Fears Rise
Taxpayer Support Grows for Higher Digital Levies on Multinational Tech Companies
Bank of England Signals Caution Over Inflation Despite Easing Energy Prices
Lloyds Banking Group Expands Artificial Intelligence Hiring Amid Sector-Wide Automation Shift
Film Producer Corporate Collapse Leaves Creditors Facing Unrecoverable Losses
UK Ten-Year Brexit Anniversary Highlights Ongoing Political and Economic Uncertainty
Nottingham Maternity Scandal Inquiry Reveals Systemic Failings in NHS Care
Met Office Heatwave Prompts Public Health Warnings Across United Kingdom
Concerns Rise Over Fiscal Stability as Political Uncertainty Weighs on UK Borrowing Costs
UK Taxpayers Back Higher Digital Taxes on Global Technology Firms, Survey Shows
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates Steady Amid Persistent Services Inflation
Reform UK and Opposition Leaders Call for General Election Following Starmer’s Departure
Ten Years After Brexit Referendum, UK Faces Ongoing Political Fragmentation and Economic Debate
×