Morocco reportedly played a bigger role in the European Parliament corruption scandal than previously known, according to the German newspaper Der Spiegel.
The North African nation's intelligence service, DGED, was allegedly involved at a high level in influencing European parliamentarians, Der Spiegel reports, based on investigative documents.
As early as 2019, the DGED had contacts with former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, his assistant Francesco Giorgi and another Italian MEP, Andrea Cozzolino with a view to influencing the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, Der Spiegel reported.
According to the report, the current Moroccan ambassador to Poland was responsible for accompanying the efforts of the trio. Der Spiegel writes that he allegedly handed envelopes full of money to the suspects.
The three Italians were also in direct contact with the director general of the DGED.
Panzeri, Giorgi and his partner Eva Kaili, the deposed vice president of the European Parliament and pivotal figure in Qatargate, were detained along with Brussels-Italian lobbyist Nicolo Figa-Talamanca in connection with the corruption scandal.
