Italian social democrat MEP Andrea Cozzolino is not going to invoke parliamentary immunity for Qatargate however his occasion in Italy, the Democratic Occasion (PD/S&D), is able to vote to raise it if crucial.
Following the arrests of European Parliament Advisor Francesco Giorgi and former Vice-President Eva Kaili, Belgian magistrates are calling for waiving the parliamentary immunity of two MEPs: Italian Andrea Cozzolino and Belgian Marc Tarabella, a transfer supported by Italian MEPs from the Socialists and Democrats group.
“The Democratic Occasion will vote in favour of lifting the immunity of Andrea Cozzolino and Marc Tarabella,” mentioned MEP Brando Benifei, deputy member of ‘Juri’, the European Parliament’s authorized committee that must assess the request for waiver of immunity made by the Belgian judiciary.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola additionally mentioned that she is completely on the disposal of the judiciary and able to cooperate to make clear the info rapidly.
Cozzolino’s attorneys have mentioned that he is not going to invoke parliamentary immunity and intends to talk within the Parliament relating to Qatargate.
“After having made a proper request to that impact to the judicial authorities continuing (…), he may even ask the parliamentary meeting to which he belongs to be heard to reply all questions and provide all info and clarifications helpful for the ascertainment of the info,” the attorneys’ be aware learn.
The socialist MEP claims to have carried out his actions as an MEP “in a free and clear method, being fully extraneous to the info of the crime”.
The investigation in opposition to Cozzolino and Tarabella was triggered by the statements made in the course of the interrogation of the three protagonists of the scandal: Giorgi, Kaili and Antonio Panzeri.
“I’ve no proof however it’s best to examine him,” mentioned Panzeri referring to Cozzolino within the first interrogation.
“He’s the parliamentarian to whom Giorgi is an assistant,” he continued, including that he’s additionally “accountable for calling for emergency resolutions,” i.e. figuring out which human rights dossiers to carry to the eye of the European Parliament.
(Federica Pascale | EURACTIV.it)
