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It was a Friday night in December of 2022. Most of Brussels was tuned in for to the World Cup quarter finals, when news alerts popped up on our phones:– raids and arrests at the European Parliament. The alerts were shocking– — offices sealed, computers seized, and lawmakers and their relatives detained,. All accused of being part of a corruption ring that was secretly taking bribes from none other than the World Cup host– Qatar. Never before had there been anything like this at the European Parliament.
But within four months, all of the suspects were released, and the case is still pending. Leaving us with a lot of questions. Was there a corruption ring of people taking bribes from Qatar? Is the European Parliament rotten, or was it just a few bad apples? And how do we keep this from happening again?
Valentina learns of raids and arrests at the European parliament and a scandal unfolds. They talk to the face of the scandal, Eva Kaili, and hear about the day of the raids through her eyes.
Through wiretap transcripts and surveillance footage, captured by Belgian intelligence, Valentina and the investigative reporting team learn just who is involved with this scandal and how it all worked.
It seemed like the Belgians had everything they needed to bring a case against the people involved with Qatargate, but the investigation hit a wall. Valentina and the reporting team speak to the prosecution side to find out why.
With elections just weeks away, and news of more foreign interference scandals in the European parliament, the reporting team gives an accounting of where the investigation and the suspects are to date.
