Eva Kaili, Vice-President of the European Parliament, arrested by police.

Belgian police on Friday (December 9) arrested Greek socialist leader and one of the vice-presidents of European Parliament Eva Kaili in Brussels, said AFP quotings sources.

The arrest is said to be related to a corruption investigation involving FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar. Kaili’s arrest follows the detention of four others.

According to AFO, Kaili, the partner of one of the four people arrested earlier, was detained for questioning by police.

The earlier arrests were announced by Belgium’s federal prosecutor after 600,000 euros in cash was discovered during police raids on 16 addresses in the capital Brussels.

The prosecutors did not name the suspects or the country involved, only stating that it was a “Gulf” state.

Prosecutors stated that “four people were arrested for questioning and may be brought before the investigating judge.”

“A former member of the European Parliament was among those questioned.”

According to Belgian news outlets Le Soir and Knack, the detained ex-MEP was Italian socialist and ex-MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri.

According to AFP, a source close to the case confirmed press reports that it was focused on suspected Qatari attempts to corrupt an Italian Socialist who served in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2019.

(With inputs from agencies)