Qatargate: Kaili awaiting for monitoring bracelet to gain release

Eva Kaili will be released, under house arrest, in the coming days awaiting trial for her participation in the “Qatargate” corruption scandal in the European Parliament.

The former vice-president of the European Parliament is expected to be released from prison on Good Friday or Easter Monday as so far there seems to be no monitoring wristband available, which her lawyer also confirms.

According to Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, Ms Kaili will live in her apartment in Brussels near the seat of the European Parliament, separately from her husband, Francesco Giorgi, with whom she will only be able to communicate by phone, while their calls will be recorded at ll times. Mr. Dimitrakopoulos explained that this was her wish too, as she no longer wants to have relations with her Italian partner.

“The first time I saw her smile”

As Mr. Dimitrakopoulos told MEGA channel, it was the first time he saw Eva Kaili smile.

“Today is a very pleasant day, not only for Ms. Eva Kaili but also for me because I am not only her lawyer but also her friend. And after a long period of time, which she spent in prisons, under tragic conditions, which until today we have not made public. I can tell you that she is coming out of prison with her head held high, with dignity and without having confessed to crimes he did not commit,” Mr. Dimitrakopoulos initially said.

Fight to the end

“She will fight to the end to prove her innocence and to be able to once again look into the eyes of the Greek voters who have honored her with their votes for so many years,” emphasized Eva Kaili’s lawyer, stressing that “it is not a day to celebrate, the the road is long.”

“She was released with electronic monitoring, but we believe that as time goes by, these restrictive conditions will also be lifted,” said Mr. Dimitrakopoulos and explained that it is Eva Kaili’s own wish to stay in a different place from her partner, Francesco Giorgi.

“There is a lot of evidence that frankly dislocates the indictment” he underlined.

“Too many people were pressuring her to confess because otherwise she will stay in prison and I was probably the only one who told her ‘if you are innocent you cannot confess to something you have not done'” concluded Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, saying that he now feels vindicated too.

The news of the release of Kaili, the last person involved in Qatargate who has been in prison for four months, was given to AFP by judge Antoine Schaert of the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office. At the same time, it is worth noting that this development was announced one day before the scheduled appearance before a judge.

The 44-year-old politician and mother of a two-year-old daughter was removed from her position as vice-president of the European Parliament in mid-December, a few days after the scandal broke out.

“I can confirm to you that Ms. Eva Kaili can go home because she was placed under electronic surveillance by the investigator Klez. I will not comment further, other than the fact that this is a logical decision that is long overdue,” Kylie’s other lawyer, Sven Marie, said in a brief statement to Euronews.

Why Eva Kaili is now being released from prison

MEGA channel secured a document that captures the reasoning behind the decision to release Eva Kaili.

According to this, the Belgian judges note that nothing has changed in the conditions that kept the MEP in prison. However, the reasoning behind her being released on parole is clearly “sham” according to legal circles.

According to sources, the chances of falsification of information have been minimized because Antonio Panzeri spoke and what he said “tied” the case, after the agreement he made with the authorities.

It is clarified that the decision does not mean an acquittal of Eva Kaili but a temporary release from prison until the main trial, although her side insists that there is no evidence of her guilt.

Characteristically in the document, it is stated:

“Given that the grounds as stated in the warrant of arrest confirmed by the investigating courts, still apply with respect to the risk of recidivism, collusion and evasion of the sentence, however there is nothing to prevent the continuation of preventive detention with an electronic wristband.”

It is recalled that the Belgian Court had already taken identical decisions in favor of the Belgian euroMP Mark Tarabella on Tuesday and for former Italian MEP Antonio Panzeri last week, two other key suspects in Qatargate.