On December 13th of last year, a major scandal erupted in Brussels, the home of the European Parliament, involving an ever-growing list of high-profile figures within the EU. The central person in the case is Eva Kalli, a Greek Member of the European Parliament (MEP), who also served as the European Parliament’s vice president. According to the BBC, investigators in Brussels found a suitcase that contained €1.5 million. €140,000 was found in Ms. Kalli’s flat, so it became apparent that she had at least some role in a possibly corrupt scheme. The allegations are centered around Qatari officials paying bribes to Kalli and other MEPs so as to influence policy favorable to Qatari interests within the EU. According to a report in The Guardian, an MEP from Cyprus stated that Kalli had encouraged him to water down a forthcoming report critical of human rights in Qatar.

As a result of this Investigation, a proposed vote on whether or not Qataris should be allowed visa-free travel into the EU was suspended. Kalli traveled to Qatar, as per The Washington Post, and described the country as a “front runner in labor rights” despite numerous examples of reports to the contrary. According to The Irish Times, there are reports of MEPs accepting lavish hospitality packages to matches at the recently completed world cup. On December 19th of last year, Qatar threatened to cut off European gas supplies due to the ongoing probe. This could cause even more energy insecurity for European leaders already worried about a lack of natural gas due to the war in Ukraine. This is an ongoing investigation that is likely to expand and possibly ensnare other high-ranking officials.