Qatargate suspect Eva Kaili wins court case against Parliament
The EU's General Court, which settles disputes over decisions involving the EU institutions and its officials, annulled the Parliament's decision t o deny Kaili's access to internal documents related to MEPs' misuse of allowances for accredited assistants. She had requested the documents to support her legal defence in an ongoing investigation.
The court ruled that the refusal lacked legal basis and could not be justified by the need to protect ongoing judicial proceedings.
The documents, the court said, were administrative in nature, adding that neither the requester's identity nor their intended use should matter when applying the EU's core principle of transparency.
'Only the content of the requested document is relevant,' the judgment stated. The Parliament cannot deny disclosure solely 'to avoid having to defend itself against evidence submitted by its opponent in court proceedings."
Parliament said it had 'taken due note' of the ruling and was currently analysing it, with two months to appeal.
Kaili and her lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wednesday's ruling marks a procedural win for Kaili, who has since 2022 been under investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) for allegedly orchestrating a fraudulent scheme involving up to €150,000 in fake jobs and kickbacks with parliamentary assistants.
Previously, the Greek lawmaker had unsuccessfully tried to annul a request to lift her parliamentary immunity, in a decision EPPO chief Laura Codruța Kövesi described as a 'very important' milestone for enabling investigations into sitting MEPs.
Kaili then filed a request to access documents related to past cases of misuse of parliamentary allowances. Her lawyers argued that her case was being treated differently, pointing out that 'so far, and without exception, all previous and numerous similar irregularities committed by MEPs [had been] dealt with administratively without involving criminal investigations," the court ruling reads.
She also faces corruption and money laundering charges as part of the broader Qatargate case and she has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
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