The judge who until recently presided over the Qatargate corruption probe twice requested lifting Belgian MEP Marie Arena's parliamentary immunity, Belgian media report.
According to anonymous sources cited by La Libre Belgique, former investigating judge Michel Claise first called for Arena's immunity to be waived three months ago. The Federal Prosecutor's Office, however, deemed the request "premature", arguing instead that it would be more expedient to pursue other lines of inquiry. Claise eventually agreed.
In mid-June, Claise reportedly renewed his request that the 56-year-old's immunity be lifted. However, it was at this time that news broke that Claise's son had co-founded a business with Arena's son in 2018. The resulting allegations of a conflict of interest led Claise to recuse himself from the investigation.
Myths dispelled?
The fact that Claise twice suggested that Arena's immunity be lifted would appear to refute two popular criticisms of his handling of the case.
The first, which has been propounded by key figures implicated in the Qatargate scandal including Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella and Greek former Vice-President of the European Parliament Eva Kaili, is that the business dealings of Claise's and Arena's sons affected Claise's decision regarding who to prosecute.
The second, which has been defended especially vehemently by Tarabella, is that the prosecution is basing its case solely on the testimony of Italian former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who has repeatedly attempted to absolve Arena of any wrongdoing but has accused both Kaili and Tarabella of accepting bribes.
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Panzeri himself has already confessed to taking bribes from the Qatari and Moroccan Governments and is now formally collaborating with the Belgian authorities.
Arena, who denies any involvement in the scandal, resigned from her position as Chair of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights in January, after Politico reported she had failed to properly declare that her accommodation and flights to and from Doha on 8 and 9 May last year had been paid for by the Qatari Government.
In March, leaked testimony from Panzeri revealed that Arena had stayed at a luxury hotel in Marrakech in 2015 with the 67-year-old Italian on a trip largely funded by the Moroccan Government. However, Panzeri also claimed that Arena was unaware of who actually sponsored the trip.
Panzeri's lawyer, Laurent Kennes, has previously cited his client's desire to exonerate Arena as one of the principal reasons why Panzeri eventually decided to collaborate with the Belgian authorities.
"One of the reasons why Mr Panzeri wanted to speak out is because he knows that he betrayed the trust of certain people and Marie Arena is one of them," Kennes said. "He believes that she is a very upright person, who should not have been accused as is the case here. He will quote her name to say that she has absolutely nothing to do [with the scandal]."
