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Senior MEP Maria Arena has quit her role as chair of the European Parliament’s sub-committee on human rights, accusing journalists and political rivals of attacks amid the ongoing Qatargate corruption scandal.
His resignation came hours after Politico published an in-depth investigation into the committee, which found that Arena had failed to properly declare the free flights and accommodation it had received from Qatar. An EU official said that the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has been informed of Arena’s decision.
In a statement sent to Belgian news agency Belga and seen by Politico, Arena said she was stepping down to protect her image and the work done by the European Parliament’s human rights committee, known as DROI in EU shorthand. is known in
earlier on wednesday Politico reported Arina was blaming her secretary for failing to announce a paid trip to Qatar in May 2022. The committee is now at the center of allegations of corruption and money laundering. Three of the four suspects held on preliminary charges have links to the panel of MEPs. Arena is not one of the suspects and insisted again on Wednesday that he was in no way involved in the scandal engulfing Brussels.
“I declare loud and clear that I have not been implicated in any way in this matter,” Arena wrote in the statement.
“But in light of the political and media attacks over the past few weeks, which have not only damaged my image, but given all the work I’ve done at the heart of the DROI subcommittee, I have decided to resign as chair.” , “” he wrote. He said that neither his office nor his home had been raided by police, and that the Belgian authorities had not asked to lift his parliamentary immunity, which would precede a criminal investigation. is a necessary step.
Committee Arena has links to several people facing preliminary charges in the Belgian criminal investigation since 2019, including Pier Antonio Panzeri, the Italian former MEP who led the committee before him. Belgian police have raided several offices of current parliamentary staff linked to the committee as part of their investigation.
When the corruption allegations first surfaced last month, Arena said she would temporarily step down as chairman of DROI — and it was unclear what that would mean in practical terms. Senior MEPs on the committee are due to meet on Thursday to discuss next steps.
Camille Gijs and Nicolas Camut contributed reporting.