EU Bribery Scandal

SafeSurfer

€633,000 in cash just “resting” in an MEP’s apartment. Is this a one off or the tip of a large EU government scandal?

Kermit.de.frog

I wasn't aware the EU had a "government".

SafeSurfer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989872#Comment_119989872

Welcome to awareness.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989874#Comment_119989874

Educate yourself on how the EU is run. There is no point in trying to have a worthwhile debate with someone who does not have a grasp of the basics.

Strazdas

MEPs are not actually part of the EU and represent their home political party instead. Ones that are on the make or taking bribes probably don't even like the EU and just see the Parliament as a meal ticket.

kyote00

It’s all Greek to me

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989890#Comment_119989890

What's the issue? Per dictionary government is the exercise of political authority over the actions, affairs, etc, of a political unit, people, etc, as well as the performance of certain functions for this unit or body; the action of governing; political rule and administration.

MEPs make EU laws some of which are directly applicable to EU states without needing to be transposed.

Anyway, pretty damning news and seems to be the tip of the iceberg. Any MEP promoting Quatar's 'transformation' should be looking over their shoulder.

ancapailldorcha

So one potentially corrupt MEP? That's it?

sydthebeat

So what's all this about then, who are the EU bribing and for what?

Allinall

What's wrong with having €630,000 in cash in your apartment?

Is that all they have?

It’s hard to generalise about political culture in the European Parliament because effectively you’re seeing MEPs who’ve mostly been brought up though one of 27 different domestic political cultures. Some of those have more tolerance of and more corruption issues than others.

It also tends to be very heavily targeted by lobbyists, both operating normally, transparently and very visibly, and those who might be less scrupulous.

A lot of the topics the EU deals with can sometimes seem quite tedious to domestic press, but they’re often very significant regulatory issues for sectors and individual businesses.

Then because it’s not that heavily covered in most domestic media, it’s not as scrutinised most of the time.

The fact that this was properly exposed i a good thing as it’s showing that the EP is being scrutinised more and also that it’s going to have to scrutinise itself a lot more too. That’s probably part of its evolution as a parliamentary system too.

I’d be more worried if I was seeing no noise at all in terms of corruption being exposed at the EP.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990045#Comment_119990045

Well there are a couple of others I can think of who have gone to extraordinary efforts to support Russia in this time of it's great need. It might be prudent to extend the scope of the enquiry to encompass MEPs who seem to exert more effort in furthering the interests of non EU countries, than their.

Agent Coulson

I wonder what Clare & Mick think about this.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990048#Comment_119990048

Qatar might have been bribing the vice president of the European Parliament, and possibly others.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990086#Comment_119990086

Could be worse.

Here in the UK, they get peerages and nobody in the media asks questions.

Peregrinus

It's basically the Qataris trying to buy influence. It's concerning, but not altogether surprising.

The amount involved is very large, but otherwise this is not dissimilar from things we have seen more than once in national parliaments. In fact most national parliaments have a mechanism for MPs to declare the donations, freebies, etc, they get from people hoping to secure their attention or influence, and where there's a scandal it's usually not because a wodge of money was handed over but because the MP concerned failed to declare it.

Danzy

The lobbying industry in Brussels is immense, and you would have to be very naive to think it does not veer in to corruption more than occasionally.

25k lobbyists do their work in Brussels according to the Economist.

This is tip of the Iceberg and was on a topic of no commercial value.

Doc07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990100#Comment_119990100

Was thinking something similar. The arrest and sacking of this politician has happened quickly. (Whether it’s tip of the iceberg stuff of few bad eggs etc all needs to be investigated properly of course)

However if a similar type of bribe/incentive/‘gift’ was made to an Irish politician I would not be at all confident an immediate expulsion/sacking/arrest as appropriate would follow. I do think we have a functional and largely honest parliament and democracy but we also have members of the Dail who have been caught red handed taking large gifts and a very active image rehabilitation ongoing for a former Taoiseach who did the same.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990086#Comment_119990086

I had to experience CD’s brand of politics when she was president of DCU student union. Back then it was constant attempts to rouse up the downtrodden student masses to stick it to the man, much to the indifference of the student body.

In all fairness, she has been consistent in her politics down the years. It would appear that the current corruption raids were based on well founded evidence, as it is quite a move to make based on suspicion only.

To look to persecute someone based on their political opinion is not a good idea. Much better to express opinions come election time.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990133#Comment_119990133

That's it. The EU is in many ways more democratic and accountable than a lot of European countries, particularly the UK. In the UK, this person would get a peerage if they're sufficiently loyal to the PM.

Run Forest Run

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989890#Comment_119989890

I would say the same for people who always seem to insist on dragging a debate into pointless semantics, rather than discussing the actual issue.

The EU has a system of governance.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990245#Comment_119990245

Continental Europe would have a much bigger corruption problem than Ireland, especially in France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Germany has significant problems in its Landesbanks, and then there is Eastern Europe and the Med. at a whole different level.

tabby aspreme

Its not easy to run 3 houses on an MEP's salary, you should try it sometime

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990299#Comment_119990299

I'll believe that when I see proof.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989890#Comment_119989890

The EU forms and enacts legislation and has a legal system to oversee it and enforce adherence. It even has something called a parliament. That's close enough to the functions and appearance of a government that I wouldn't be lecturing people and arguing the toss.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990093#Comment_119990093

But the vice president of the European Parliament is an MEP of course. If we found out that the Qataris had been bribing Ursula von der Leyen or one of the EU Commissioners, this would be a scandal of a whole different order.

deirdremf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990962#Comment_119990962

I'd say this will end up in the European courts. AFAIK and I'm open to correction of course,, the Chair of the European Parliament decided unilaterally to withdraw parliamentary immunity from Kaili, using an emergency procedure for people caught in flagrante - ie, in the actual course of committing a crime. As I understand it, Kaili's crime (assuming she committed one!) had been committed at some point in the past.

As a result, Kaili is very likely to contest her decision, all through the Belgian courts and on through the EU Court of Justice etc if need be.

While the evidence against her seems strong, the incorrect use of procedures could lessen the impact on her, or at least return her immunity while the business goes through the courts. That could take years. It could also leave Metsola in a dificult place.

This clearly doesn't affect the others involved in the case, who would not have had immunity as they are not MEPs.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990100#Comment_119990100

you're the first to highlight whataboutery and yet here we are.

Four MEPs are arrested, one of whom is the vice president of the EU parliament. That's pretty significant stuff, wouldn't you agree?

TipsyMcStagge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990090#Comment_119990090

Nothing whatsoever to do with them it was friend of the west Qatar doing the bribing.

TipsyMcStagge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991612#Comment_119991612

Some Irish people believe that the EU is a utopia and that no wrong doing can occur within it's institutions.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990245#Comment_119990245

it would be interesting to see the expense reports from all those that attended this little jolly

https://gcn.ie/senator-craughwell-praises-qatar-despite-human-rights-concerns/