BRUSSELS — Belgian police found cash in the home of Ugo Lemaire, the son of European parliamentarian Maria Arena, as first reported by Le Soir and confirmed by the Belgian prosecutor’s office.
Arena, though implicated in the corruption scandal now known as Qatargate through July raids of her and her family’s homes, remains uncharged. But recent revelations show investigators in charge of the Qatargate case discovered large amounts of cash during the search of her son’s home in July.
It was Arena who allegedly opened the door to her son’s apartment, next door to her own, where police officers recovered €280,000 in cash, according to Le Soir. To date, no connection has been established between the cash and any corruption activities related to a foreign country.
Asked to comment on the raid and on the amount of money seized, the Belgian prosecutor’s office declined to give further information — but said it “deplored any leak of information in this case.”
Belgian MEP Maria Arena was a close associate of alleged Qatargate ringleader Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian MEP who admitted guilt in a plea deal. Arena described their ties as “professional friendship,” and Panzeri has continually insisted on her innocence. Arena has consistently stated she’s innocent and not involved in the bribery scandal.
Arena quit her role as European Parliament human rights chief in January after POLITICO revealed that she failed to declare having accepted free flights and accommodation from Qatar.
The July home raids came after links emerged between the MEP’s son and that of the investigating judge in charge of the case at the time, Michel Claise. The lawyer for Marc Tarabella, another MEP and among the primary suspects in Qatargate, successfully pushed for Claise to step back from the case in June over conflict of interest allegations connected to this. Maxim Töller, Tarabella’s lawyer, accused Claise of having given preferential treatment to Maria Arena due to their family connections.
Ugo Lemaire, Arena’s son, and Nicolas Claise, Claise’s son, are co-owners of the same cannabis company BRC & Co and have known each other for many years, according to public documents from the company and social media posts.
When contacted, Lemaire’s lawyer Denis Bosquet declined a request for comment. Arena did not immediately reply to a request for comment, nor did her lawyer.
