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Eva Kaili

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Eva Kaili
Εύα Καϊλή
Eva Kaili in 2016
5th Vice President of the European Parliament
In office
18 January 2022 – 13 December 2022
Suspended: 9 December 2022 - 13 December 2022
Serving with See list
PresidentRoberta Metsola
Member of the European Parliament for Greece
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 May 2014
Member of the Hellenic Parliament
In office
18 September 2007 – 9 May 2012
ConstituencyThessaloniki A
37.98% (1st)
Personal details
Born (1978-10-26) 26 October 1978 (age 46)
Thessaloniki, Greece
Political partyPASOK (1992–2022)
Other political
affiliations		Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (2014–2022)
Domestic partnerFrancesco Giorgi
Children1
Alma materAristotle University of Thessaloniki
ProfessionNewscaster, politician[1]
Websitewww.evakaili.gr
Criminal information
Criminal statusDetained
Criminal chargeCorruption and bribery
Eva Kaili's voice
On how she got into Bitcoin
Recorded June 2022

Eva Kaili (Greek: Εύα Καϊλή; born 26 October 1978) is a Greek politician who has been serving as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2014. She served as one of fourteen vice presidents of the European Parliament from January 2022 until she was arrested and charged with corruption in December 2022. Kaili is a former Member of the Hellenic Parliament and former television news presenter for Greek television channel MEGA Channel.[2][3]

Kaili's arrest was the most striking action during the Qatargate operations that caused a seismic uproar in European Union politics, because she enjoyed parliamentary immunity as a sitting vice president of the EP. Belgian authorities justified it as a case of her being caught in flagrante delicto;[4] Kaili's lawyers claim that the lengthy interrogation that immediately followed her arrest was conducted while Kaili was in a state of extreme shock, fear and confusion and led her to testify some things under stress, duress and mistreatment.[5]

Early life and education

Kaili studied architecture and civil engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.[1] She continued her studies at the University of Piraeus where she obtained a Master of Arts degree in international and European affairs in 2008.[1] Since 2014 Kaili has been pursuing a PhD in international economic policy at the University of Piraeus but, as of 2022, is yet to complete her studies.[1]

Career

Before her political career, Kaili was a newscaster at Mega Channel from 2004 until 2007.[1]

In 1992, Kaili joined the PASOK Youth. In 2001, she was President of the School of Architecture Students' Association and by 2002, she was already the youngest member to be elected to the Thessaloniki City Council.[6]

Member of the Hellenic Parliament

Kaili at a European Parliament debate on corruption in 2014

In the 2004 national elections, Kaili was the youngest candidate standing.[citation needed] In the 2007 national elections, she was elected as a member of the Hellenic Parliament for the first district of Thessaloniki. At the time, she was the youngest Member of Parliament with the PASOK party.[7] She retained her seat in the 2009 national elections until 2012.

During her term in Parliament, Kaili served as a member of the following Parliamentary Committees: Standing Committee on Cultural and Educational Affairs, Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs, and Special Permanent Committee of Greeks Abroad. She was also a member of the Greek delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.[1]

Ahead of a crucial vote of confidence for Prime Minister, George Papandreou in November 2011, Kaili made headlines when she announced that she would refuse to support the government in the vote; this would have left Papandreou with the support of just 151 PASOK deputies out of 300.[8] She later backtracked and Papandreou won the vote of confidence with all 155 lawmakers of PASOK expressing their support for his beleaguered government.[9]

Member of the European Parliament

Eva Kaili has been Member of the European Parliament since 2014 and was a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group until her expulsion in 2022. Kaili now sits as an independent. She is Vice President for Innovation Strategy, ICT, Technology, Foresight, Businesses, ESG and CSR, UN, WTO, OECD and the Middle East. She was the first woman[10] to Chair of the European Parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment body (STOA) 2017–2022.[1] She was also Chair of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence (C4AI), and Chair of the Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (DNAT) 2014–2019. She has been serving on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL). She is an alternate member on the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) and on Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula (DARP)[11] and was also involved in the Commission investigating the spyware Pegasus (PEGA).[10]

In addition to her committee assignments, Kaili is a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Cancer,[12] the European Parliament Intergroup on Disability, the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (D-RU) and the Delegation for Relations with the United States of America (D-US).[13]

She was the recipient of a 2018 MEP Award for New Technologies.[14]

Kaili became one of fourteen vice presidents of the European Parliament on 18 January 2022 after being elected on the first round by 454 votes. She was suspended from her vice-presidential duties on 10 December.[15][16]

Between 2019 and 2022, Kaili was the head of the Hellenic S&D delegation until her expulsion from the party.

On 13 December 2022, the European Parliament voted to remove Kaili from her position as one of their vice presidents, with 625 votes in favor of removal, one against, and two abstentions.[17][18][19]

Corruption charges and arrest

Main article: Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament

On 9 December 2022, Kaili was arrested by Belgian Federal Police following an investigation into organized crime, corruption and money laundering tied to lobbying efforts in support of Qatar; because Kaili enjoyed parliamentary immunity, her arrest was not on the original planning of the operation launched by Belgian authorities that day, but developments during the day led investigating judge Michel Claise (overall head of the operation) to conclude that Kaili was caught in flagrante delicto.[20][21] A suitcase of cash was found with her father upon his arrest, and bags of cash were found at her home.[22] The same day she was suspended from both the Socialists and Democratic Group with which she sits in the European Parliament and her national party PASOK.[23] As part of the investigation, Belgian Police raided 16 homes and detained at least four others including parliamentary assistant Francesco Giorgi (Kaili's life partner[24]), former MEP Antonio Panzeri (for whom Giorgi had worked at parliament, and with whom he had founded the human rights NGO "Fight Impunity"),[25] and Kaili's father, Alexandros Kailis, who was arrested outside the hotel where he was staying with a suitcase of cash.[20][26][21] During the raids over €600,000 in cash was recovered by investigators.[27][28][29]

The arrest of Alexandros Kailis outside his hotel with the suitcase of cash led investigating judge Michel Claise to conclude that this was a case of Eva Kaili being caught In flagrante delicto; a special police team of around a dozen officers, accompanied by judge Claise in person, then headed for the home of Kaili and arrested her. Kaili did not resist, but was visibly shaken and in a state of shock and confusion, crying and terrified; Claise interrogated her for more than five hours.[20][30]

Kaili's lawyers, André Risopoulos and Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, have protested the actions of Belgian authorities as a gross overreach of judicial power. In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Dimitrakopoulos said that Kaili's arrest and initial interrogations were problematic because she was in a state of shock, fear and confusion and that the Belgian authorities failed to provide her with a reliable French-language interpreter.[5]

The lawyer further claimed that it was only after a week that Kaili could testify "in a calm environment", where she was "in good enough psychological condition to be fully aware of what she was saying", and that it was "the first time she had a good interpreter".[5]

On 12 December 2022, the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority announced that it had frozen all assets of Kaili and her close family members. This included all bank accounts, safes, companies and other financial assets. Of particular interest to the authorities, according to the head of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority, is a newly established real estate company in the Athens district of Kolonaki.[31][32]

The timing of the arrests coincided with the 2022 FIFA World Cup being hosted in Qatar. At the time, there was significant criticism of the hosts within the European Union, but during a speech at the European Parliament, Kaili praised the country's human rights record and criticised accusations of corruption made against Qatar.[33][34]

On 5 January 2023, Kaili, from the cell where she is incarcerated in Haren Prison outside Brussels, accused the Belgian authorities of "inhuman" behavior towards her. Since the day of her arrest and subsequent incarceration, she has asked for permission to meet her 22-month old daughter in prison or, failing that, to see her via Skype. However, both requests were rejected;[35] Kaili said: "I am being tortured, this is so unfair that I cannot stand it, and I am breaking down. What is the problem with my little girl, why are they keeping her away from me?".[a][35] The authorities responded by permitting Kaili to have a three-hour meeting with her 22-month-old daughter in prison on the afternoon of 6 January;[36][37] this was the first time Kaili had seen her daughter since her arrest in December.[38][39] Kaili's father, Alexandros Kailis, brought the child to Haren Prison.[39]

Kaili's three co-defendants, Francesco Giorgi (Kaili's boyfriend), Antonio Panzeri (an Italian former MEP and former Chair of the European Parliament Human Rights Subcommittee), and Niccolò Figà-Talamanca (a lobbyist and NGO activist) are described as pleading guilty to charges of corruption and money-laundering.[39]

Since her incarceration, Kaili is being monitored by Haren Prison's in-house psychologists. Under Belgian law, Kaili herself had the right to ask to see a psychologist, but she refused; however, Haren Prison staff judged it necessary for her.[40][41] The psychologists were also present during Kaili's meeting with her daughter.[41] Kaili's lawyers claim that Belgian authorities themselves are to blame for any psychological harm done to Kaili, especially in her early interrogations which the lawyers contest as being legally problematic.[5]

Controversies inside PASOK

Even before her arrest, Kaili was a controversial figure inside the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK),[42] since she had regularly distanced herself from PASOK and adopted positions similar to those of Greek conservative parties.[42] Following her arrest, PASOK president Nikos Androulakis described her as "a Trojan horse of New Democracy",[42][43] and announced that she would not be a candidate for PASOK again.[42]

In 2021 she was rumoured to plan a bid for the presidency of PASOK.[44]

Personal life

Kaili and her partner Francesco Giorgi, a 33-year-old parliamentary assistant, have a daughter born in 2021.[45]

Notes

  1. ^ "Βασανίζομαι. Είναι άδικο αυτό. Δεν αντέχω. Καταρρέω. Τι τους φταίει η μικρή και την κρατάνε μακριά μου."[35] [I am being tortured, this is so unfair that I cannot stand it, and I am breaking down. What is the problem with my little girl, why are they keeping her away from me?]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Curriculum vitae Eva Kaili". 25 April 2022. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  2. ^ Photograph of Eva Kaili[permanent dead link], Greece.
  3. ^ "Εύα Ευδοξία Καϊλή". www.evakaili.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Des sacs d'argent liquide trouvés au domicile de la vice-présidente du Parlement européen". L'Echo. 10 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Guastella, Giuseppe (26 December 2022). "Qatargate, Kaili: "Se rilasciata, resterò in Belgio. Sono innocente e lotterò fino alla fine"". Corriere della Sera.
  6. ^ Stamouli, Nektaria (13 December 2022). "The long rise and abrupt fall of Greek MEP Eva Kaili". Politico Europe.
  7. ^ Weisenthal, Joe (9 November 2011). "One-On-One With Eva Kaili, The Most Popular Greek Politician In The World". Business Insider. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  8. ^ Kyriakidou, Dina; Papadimas, Lefteris (3 November 2011). "Greek prime minister faces knife-edge survival vote". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020.
  9. ^ Donadio, Rachel (4 November 2011). "Greek Leader Survives Vote, Bolstering Deal on Europe Debt". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Eva Kaili". RegHorizon. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Home | Eva KAILI | MEPs | European Parliament". Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Intergroup, Members of the Intergroup", European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), archived from the original on 3 October 2020
  13. ^ "Members of the Disability Intergroup - S&D", European Disability Forum, archived from the original on 12 December 2022
  14. ^ Newsroom, Thelma (22 March 2018). "Eva Kaili wins MEP of the year award in Brussels". themanews.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ "Greek MEP stripped of vice president powers over graft probe". Deutsche Welle. 11 December 2022.
  16. ^ Chini, Maïthé (13 December 2022). "Qatar corruption scandal: MEP Eva Kaili removed as Vice-President of EU Parliament". Brussels Times. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  17. ^ Camut, Nicolas (13 December 2022). "EU Parliament removes VP status from Eva Kaili". Politico Europe.
  18. ^ "Mutanklagad Kaili bortröstad som vice talman i EU-parlamentet" [Accused of bribery, Kaili voted out as vice-president of the EU Parliament]. SVT Nyheter. 13 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Minutes of proceedings" (PDF). European Parliament. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Colart, Louis; Matriche, Joël; Clérix, Kristof ("Knack") (11 December 2022). "Cash, flagrant délit et perquisitions sensibles: le récit de trois jours d'une enquête anti-corruption inouïe". Le Soir.
  21. ^ a b "Four charged in connection with Qatar corruption scandal at European Parliament". Euronews. 9 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Cash found in MEP Kaili's Brussels home: reports". Kathimerini. 10 December 2022.
  23. ^ Maishman, Elsa (9 December 2022). "Eva Kaili: Senior EU lawmaker arrested over alleged bribery by Gulf state". BBC News. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  24. ^ Kokkinidis, Tasos (15 December 2022). "Qatargate: Kaili's Partner Reportedly Confesses He Was Bribed". GreekReporter.com. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  25. ^ Jacqué, Philippe; Stroobants, Jean-Pierre (11 December 2022). "European Parliament jolted by investigation into alleged corruption benefiting Qatar". Le Monde. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Belgium makes EU parliament arrests in Qatar corruption probe". France24. 9 December 2022.
  27. ^ Coulart, Louis; Matriche, Joël; Clerix, Kristof (9 December 2022). "Soupçons de corruption par le Qatar: la vice-présidente du Parlement européen Eva Kaili interpellée". Le Soir.
  28. ^ Wheaton, Sarah; Camut, Nicolas (9 December 2022). "Belgian police raid homes over Qatar lobbying at EU Parliament". Politico Europe.
  29. ^ Balboni, Julien (9 December 2022). "Des sacs d'argent liquide trouvés au domicile de la vice-présidente du Parlement européen". L'Echo.
  30. ^ "Εύα Καϊλή: "Σε καθεστώς σύγχυσης και σε άσχημη ψυχολογική κατάσταση ενώπιον των δικαστών" – Πάνω από 5 ώρες κράτησε η ανάκριση" [Eva Kaili: "In a state of confusion and in a bad psychological state before the judges" - The interrogation lasted more than 5 hours]. Newsit.gr. 16 December 2022.
  31. ^ "Corruption au Parlement européen: Athènes gèle tous les avoirs de la vice-présidente Eva Kaili écrouée". Le Soir. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  32. ^ Kokkinidis, Tasos (12 December 2022). "Qatar Scandal: Greece Freezes All Assets Owned by MEP Eva Kaili". Greek Reporter. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Situation of human rights in the context of the FIFA world cup in Qatar (debate)". European Parliament. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  34. ^ Knight, Sam (3 December 2022). "At Qatar's World Cup, Where Politics and Pleasure Collide". The New Yorker.
  35. ^ a b c "Εύα Καϊλή: «Καταρρέω, τι τους φταίει η μικρή;»" [Eva Kaili "I'm collapsing, what's wrong with the little one"]. Ta Nea (in Greek). 4 January 2023.
  36. ^ Stamouli, Nektaria (5 January 2023). "Eva Kaili to see her child in jail. The MEP's lawyer has suggested that Belgian authorities used the toddler as a pressure point". Politico Europe.
  37. ^ "Εύα Καϊλή: Την Παρασκευή θα δει την κόρη της στη φυλακή για τρεις ώρες -Στροφή από τους Βέλγους" [Eva Kaili: she will see her daughter in prison for three hours on Friday - Turnaround from the Belgians]. Iefimerida.gr. 5 January 2023.
  38. ^ "Εύα Καϊλή: Η De Standaard τη συνδέει άμεσα και με το Μorocco Gate - Συντονιστής ο Τζόρτζι" [Eva Kaili: De Standaard directly connects her with Morocco Gate - Moderator Georgi]. CNN Greece (in Greek). 6 January 2023.
  39. ^ a b c Bouloutza, Penny (7 January 2022). "Kaili sees daughter for the first time". Ekathimerini.
  40. ^ "Εύα Καϊλή: Το επισκεπτήριο ψυχολόγου στη φυλακή Τη βλέπουν μόνο ο δικηγόρος της και ένα συγγενικό πρόσωπο" [Eva Kaili: The visit of the psychologist in the prison Only her lawyers and a relative see her]. Star Channel (in Greek). 16 December 2022.
  41. ^ a b "Με το παιδί της παρουσία ψυχολόγου η Ε. Καϊλή" [E. Kaili with her child in the presence of a psychologist]. Alpha TV (in Greek). 6 January 2023.
  42. ^ a b c d "Qui est Eva Kaili, l'eurodéputée grecque soupçonnée de corruption en lien avec le Qatar?" [Who is Eva Kaili, the Greek MEP suspected of corruption in connection with Qatar?]. Europe 1 (in French). 11 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  43. ^ Jones, Sam; Smith, Helena; Rankin, Jennifer (11 December 2022). "Four people charged over Qatar's alleged bribing of EU officials". The Guardian.
  44. ^ Papadopoulos, Pavlos (19 December 2022). "Εύα Καϊλή: Από το Συντριβάνι στο κελί του Αρεν" [Eva Kaili: From the Fountain to Aren's cell]. Kathimerini. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  45. ^ Foschini, Giuliano (15 December 2022). "Qatargate, Giorgi confessa davanti ai giudici: "Ma ora liberate la mia compagna"". la Repubblica. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
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