The European Parliament voted on Thursday to stop all legislative work related to Qatar and bar the country’s representatives from parliamentary premises, following allegations that it was involved in bribing European officials to seek influence.
Prosecutors suspect that the vice-president, Eva Kaili, and three other people took bribes from World Cup host Qatar in an alleged attempt to influence European Union policymaking, Reuters reported.
In the resolution, which passed on Thursday by 541 votes in favor, with only two against, MEPs described themselves as “horrified” by the revelations and emphasized the “seriousness and scale” of the issue.
The draft proposal stated that “the European Parliament suspends all work related to legislative files related to Qatar, in particular those related to the liberalization of visas and scheduled visits, until the suspicions are confirmed or rejected.”
The parliament said it “deplores” the alleged Qatari attempts to seek influence “through acts of corruption that constitute serious foreign interference in the democratic processes of the European Union”.
Qatar denies any involvement in European corruption.
“Any claims of misconduct by the State of Qatar are gravely misinformed,” an official told AFP.
On Tuesday, the European Parliament sacked its vice president, the Greek socialist Eva Kaili, after a vote devoted to this issue in the French city of Strasbourg, where the parliament is located.
Kaili’s arrest came during a series of police raids on homes and offices in and near Brussels, during which at least 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) in cash were seized.
