ROME – An Italian court ruled Monday that the daughter of former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri can be extradited to Belgium for charges in an alleged Qatar corruption probe into the European Parliament.
Silvia Panzeri was arrested in December in Bergamo, northern Italy, along with her mother, Maria Dolores Coloni, on charges of corruption, money laundering and criminal association. Her father’s NGO, Fight Impunity, is one of the groups at the center of the so-called Qatargate allegations And he was arrested in Belgium.
According to a warrant seen by Politico, Belgian authorities believe Silvia Panzeri was aware of her father’s alleged activities. She denies the allegation according to her lawyer.
Prosecutors in Brussels had requested the extradition of Panzeri and his mother. Her lawyers Angelo De Riso and Nicola Coli argued that sending her to Belgium where she would be kept in prison rather than under house arrest would violate her human rights, and raised questions about the conditions in Belgian prisons.
But after three hours of proceedings, judges in Brescia, near Milan, rejected these arguments and approved Belgium’s extradition request. Panjeri will not be immediately deported to Belgium, but has five days to lodge an appeal. His mother’s appeal against extradition will be heard on January 31.