European Parliament removes Eva Kaili as vice president as corruption probe widens

BRUSSELS - Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Tuesday voted to strip the institution's Vice President Eva Kaili of her post citing her alleged involvement in a corruption scandal.

At their plenary session in Strasbourg, MEPs Kaili was removed from her post with 625 votes in favor, one against and two abstentions.

The vote was taken according to Article 21 of the EP's rules of procedure, which lays out conditions for the early termination of an office.

The Conference of Presidents, which includes the EP's president and the leaders of the political groups, triggered the procedure on Tuesday morning, with a vote later in the day.

The Conference of Presidents said it was "shocked and deeply concerned about the recent revelations on corruption and criminal influence" in the EP's decision-making processes.

"Everyone involved must be held accountable. Parliament will continue to fully support the work of the police and judiciary to ensure that justice is done," it said in a statement.

A debate was scheduled in the EP on Tuesday afternoon on the need for greater transparency and accountability within European institutions, with a vote on a resolution on Thursday.

Kaili, 44, was one of the EP's 14 vice presidents. She was arrested by the Belgian authorities last Friday on suspicion of taking bribes. Several people connected to her were also arrested over the weekend. Belgian prosecutors searched the suspects' residences and offices and found hundreds of thousands of euros in cash. The computers of several EP employees were confiscated.

Belgian prosecutors reportedly accuse Kaili and other suspects of accepting large sums of cash and gifts from Qatar, enabling them to influence the EP to make decisions in favor of Qatar on certain issues.

The Qatari Mission to the EU issued a statement on Sunday, according to which the state of Qatar categorically rejects any attempts to associate it with accusations of misconduct. Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed, it said.

"The state of Qatar works through institution-to-institution engagement and operates in full compliance with international laws and regulations," it said.