€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?
It's almost like investing powers and budgets in institutions that are beyond the structures of nation states is a recipe for corruption
It's shocking, given the sterling track record of similar bodies like the UN, the Olympic committee, the WHO and FIFA....
What is the answer?
State intelligence agencies can cooperate but they also compete. Police forces are ill equipped to investigate international political corruption. Surely diplomatic immunity is a barrier where foreign diplomats, officials are involved.
Intelligence services protect and pursue national interests. Are they best places to expose fraud or corruption or illegal activity that benefits their own state? Probably not.
The intelligence services of EU member states operate in self interest such as the French bombing of The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior and the murder of a photographer.
Fraud at an EU level is probably more difficult to detect because there is no dedicated service tasked with its detection. Whether an EU anti corruption bureau would be politically palatable is another question.
Again, so what? The issue is whether national law enforcement agencies can effectively investigate and act against corruption in the EU institutions, or does the EU need its own enforcement agency. If the police have the required resources and are willing to deploy them, or if the intelligence services have the required resources and are willing to deploy them, or if the police and the intelligence services in combination have the required resources and are willing to deploy them, the answer in every case would seem to be the same.
Well for one the general police would not have the capabilities to monitor these types of individuals. It's high level corruption. Members of Eu institutions and Parliament.
I repeat; so what? If member state law enforcement authorities investigate and prosecute corruption in the EU institutions, explain to me why it matters whether those authorities are part of the police force or separate agencies?
They are definitely not employees of the EU anyway - they receive a salary from the EU in their capacity as a parliamentarian. Their role is not to promote or defend the EU (but many of them would certainly be very pro-EU and would use their position to promote it and its values). But we've also seen hardcore Eurosceptics and Europhobe MEPs like Farage and his mates who were hoping and praying for the destruction of the union.
Right so please produce evidence that EU-affiliated bribe takers are covertly anti-EU. For your point to have any relevance whatsoever.
I would have thought that all Intelligence agencies are operating in different jurisdictions. I would be confident that all the major country’s intelligence agencies would be present in a city like Brussels.
Do MEP’s work in the interests of their national constituents or in the interests of the EU?
So how was the EU investigating the EU ? Unless I have my wires crossed that was what was said ?
Again, this makes no sense. I never suggested that the police of one state had jurisdiction in another.
Simple the EU did not investigate this a branch of the Belgian authorities did. Interpol is the only inter branch in Europe. Belgian cops cant just walk into France. Same way German intelligence agency cannot just enter Belgium. No idea how this can be made out as the EU investigating its self. Unless someone can point to a part in a EU charter that mentions An agency of the EU commission with legal power to arrest, jail someone.
I've no idea where you're getting this from.
Farage stated thatthe EP corruption watchdog spent all of its time investigating him and it amounted to nothing.
Compare to this little ring requiring the Belgian cops to bust it up.
yes.
A lot in fact. If a story broke that the Qataris had been bribing Nigel Farage in his capacity as an MEP, what inference would you draw from that? Wouldn't he be quite rightly seen as a troublemaker who was working against the interests of the EU?
By that logic the EU voted for Brexit😂
Orban having a laugh at the grandstanding of the EP
By that logic German Intelligence agency could just walk in the Brussels and conduct an investigation. Interpol is the only European wide agency.
Her delivery of the goods during speeches has been ongoing though, or at least was until she was arrested.
Probably a few bags of roubles in a house or two in Ireland too.
It does. Belgium is in the EU.
I like how you claim the EU rooted out the scandal but when its pointed out that it was the Belgian cops, you try to pretend that somehow makes your point 😂
The investigation was undertaken by the Belgian Intelligence service. One of the oldest intelligence services in the world and distinct snd separate from the Belgian police.
I presume where corruption at state level, in this case Qatar, is involved, the intelligence service is responsible rather than national police.
I am not an expert in national intelligence agencies but from the ones I am familiar with they are separate, with different competencies from national police forces.
Sometimes, sometimes not. And sometimes - most often, in fact - it's a combination of agencies, of which some are police agencies and some are not.
But I don't see that it matters greatly. Either national law enforcement agencies do investigate corruption in EU institutions or they do not. In this case, they clearly did. That makes sense — it is national laws that are being broken here; the EU doesn't have a criminal code.
There's still a legitimate question to be asked, I think, about whether the EU requires its own law enforcement agencies, or whether we are better off relying on national agencies, which are independent of the EU, to do it. But you can be absolutely confident that those currently denouncing the EU as irredeemably corrupt would immediately denounce it as authoritarian and oppressive if it sought to establish its own law enforcement agencies to address corruption.
I don’t see the contradiction. An Intelligence service is separate from the police.
Surely your second paragraph is contradicted by your first?
Not really they are Team putin anyway damage done.
It's going to sicken people if Wallace and Daly don't get found with anything.
The scandal was uncovered by Belgium’s intelligence service, working with other national intelligence services after a year long investigation.
It is unlikely that a national police force would have the remit or resources to investigate this type of graft at a European level.
The EU already suffers from a democratic deficit but if the public perception is that this is also coupled with corruption, be it funded by countries or corporations, it will further undermine trust in EU institutions.
If you read the article a little more closely, when it talks about "EU leaders" wanting to avoid the issue, it's talking about the EU Council - i.e. the national governments of the member states. And, despite the headline, the article actually points out that while some leaders want to distance themselves from the issue, others are demanding action.
The matter was investigated by the Belgian police because the EU doesn't have a police force, or any powers of arrest. The Parliament has removed Kaili as a Vice President, and suspended consideration of all business involving Qatar pending an enquiry. Which may not be much but, as pointed out, is rather more than, e.g., the UK parliament does with members accused of corrupt behaviour.
