Eva Kaili, the key suspect in the Qatargate scandal and a former European Parliament vice-president, lost a legal challenge at the General Court of the European Union on Tuesday, thereby dashing her hopes of derailing one of the probes she faces regarding alleged misuse of EU funds.
The Greek EU lawmaker had sought to annul a request to lift her legislative immunity as part of the investigation into allegedly fraudulent payments made to four of her former assistants in the European Parliament, according to a letter from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is handling the case, to Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
The General Court, which settles disputes over decisions involving the EU institutions, dismissed Kaili’s action “as inadmissible in its entirety” and backed the actions of the European Chief Prosecutor and the president of the Parliament before a definitive decision on her immunity was taken by the legislature.
Until then, the court ruled, Kaili continued “to benefit from the protection of the privileges and immunities granted by EU law.”
Kaili has also started another legal challenge claiming her immunity was violated as part of the Qatargate investigation, the biggest corruption scandal to hit the Parliament in decades. She has been provisionally charged with corruption, partaking in a criminal organization and money laundering, but has maintained her innocence and launched a media offensive to turn the tables on the prosecution.
Eva Kaili, her lawyers and a spokesperson from the European Public Prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
