The scandal, dubbed Qatargate, erupted last month, when European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili and three others were charged with corruption as part of a probe into suspected illicit lobbying by Qatar, according to reports at the time.
Qatargate centres around attempts by Qatar and Morocco to buy influence in the European Parliament through bribes and expensive gifts, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
‘Nothing but the highest standards will do’
During a debate on Tuesday, the European Union’s Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ilva Johansson, said: “In December, trust was broken. Now we must pick up the pieces, now we must rebuild, better and stronger than before.”
She added: “Nothing but the highest standards will do, for all institutions. That’s why it’s critical to have uniform, strong rules in place, guarded by a joint ethics body for all to answer to ... The European Commission is ready to put forward a proposal.”
Johansson went on to say: “We can build on the institutional agreement on the Transparency Register, signed two years ago, a major milestone in fostering a common transparency culture.”
She cautioned: “Corruption is a serious crime and we must fight it with the full force of law.”
Johansson later tweeted: "We will put forward a defence of democracy package to strengthen our democratic resilience and defend our system from external threats."
‘Brussels corruptionists besmirched Poland’
Meanwhile, Dominik Tarczyński, a MEP with Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, said that those detained in the Qatargate scandal, such as former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, had made "fierce attacks on Poland."
Panzeri’s non-profit Fight Impunity had "alleged that Poland was run by white supremacists, by fanatical Catholics,” according to Tarczyński.
On the basis of a report by Fight Impunity, "Poland was attacked in the European Parliament" and accused of being run by “fascists,” Tarczyński said.
He added: “We will never allow Brussels corruptionists to besmirch our country.”
He announced that his group of MEPs would demand that "all of the European Parliament's resolutions against Poland be rescinded."
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, europarl.europa.eu, politico.eu