Inside the ‘Qatargate’ graft scandal rocking the EU

For a member of the European parliament, Eva Kaili lived life more like a movie star.

The Greek politician spent her free time on yachts in the Aegean, glitzy nightclubs in Athens, hanging out at events with supermodels such as Naomi Campbell and spending summer vacations at tycoon Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island Caribbean hideaway.

Work involved panel discussions with crypto billionaires and trips abroad including to Qatar ahead of the World Cup, besides the more mundane task of chairing debates in her role as a vice-president of the European parliament.

Now the former TV news anchor, 44, is confined to a prison on the grimy industrial outskirts of Brussels, under constant surveillance, with just two visits a month from her two-year-old daughter.

She stands accused by Belgian prosecutors of accepting cash and gifts from Qatar and Morocco in exchange for her votes in key parliamentary resolutions.

The final plot twist is yet to be written: is Kaili innocent, as her lawyer claims, seduced and duped by her Italian partner? Or did she take advantage of lax parliamentary oversight to line her own pockets?

Whatever the answer, there is no doubt that the so-called Qatargate scandal has rocked the European Union and forced it to confront uncomfortable truths about how it manages lobbying by foreign powers.

The parliament, a junior partner in many areas of EU policy, has cast itself as a champion of human rights and the rule of law. The three human rights resolutions it passes each month can have material impact on the ground, activists say, pressuring governments and raising the profile of local campaigners.

Prosecutors allege Qatar paid bribes to reduce parliamentary criticism of its treatment of migrant workers building stadiums and hotels for the World Cup last December. Doha denies the allegations.

Meanwhile Morocco was lobbying for a deal on fishing rights and the recognition of its sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. It too denies paying bribes.

EU lawmakers this month have begun the formal process to lift the immunity of two more of their colleagues suspected of wrongdoing. They have also announced reforms to limit so-called revolving doors, where public officials take roles in the private sector, especially lobbying.

Stéphane Séjourné, leader of the Renew Liberal group in…