“Russiagate” takes off, less than two weeks before the European elections. The Federal Judicial Police of Brussels, su order of an investigating judge of the Flemish Language Court in Brusselscarried out today a search at the home of an employee of the European Parliament in Schaerbeek, a municipality of Brussels-Capital, and in his office at the European Parliament in Brussels. This was communicated by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. At the same time, in close collaboration with Eurojust and the French judicial authorities, at the request of the Belgian investigating judge, a search was also carried out in the office of the same employee in the headquarters of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The searches are part of a case of interference, corruption and membership of a criminal organization (an investigation last April) and concern indications of Russian interference, according to which members of the European Parliament were approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda via the Voice of Europe website. For the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, “there are indications that the employee of the European Parliament in question played an important role in this matter”.
The motivations
“The searches – we read in a note – are part of a case of interference, passive corruption and membership of a criminal organization and concern indications of Russian interference, according to which members of the European Parliament were approached and paid to promote propaganda Russian via the Voice of Europe ‘news site’ There are indications that the European Parliament employee concerned played a significant role in this.”
How the investigation started and the position of the Italian parties
The blitz on April 25th. It’s Thursday, the last votes of the 9th legislature are in the Strasbourg chamber. One of these, focusing on the Russiagate which involved an AfD MEP, asks member states for greater efforts to deal with Moscow’s interference. The approval comes with a very clear majority – 429 yes, 27 no and 48 abstentions – but with a distinction that cannot go unnoticed, that of Fdi, Lega and M5S. All three Italian parties, two in government and one in opposition, opt for a united abstention with Melonians choosing to vote in dissent even with a large part of their group, Ecr, voting in favour. The text that arrived in the chamber certifies an EU Parliament “horrified” by the accusations according to which some MEPs “had been paid to spread Russian propaganda” and that many had participated “in the activities of the pro-Russian media Voice of Europe”. A few days earlier, in fact, the case had exploded. As? With the story of the parliamentary assistant of the AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, arrested in Germany on charges of being a Chinese spy while his employer was interrogated by the FBI.
Thus, the matter arrives in court on April 25th. The German far right – which is being asked to account for the origins of its funding – votes against. While in the Id group, together with the League, the Lepenists also abstained. But the vote bears witness to one fact: on the position on Russian interference and relations with Moscow, the European right risks exploding. The abstention of Fdi, Lega and M5S in Italy is muffled by the celebrations – and controversies – for April 25th. The Democratic Party chooses not to officially comment on the position of its potential five-star ally. This is done by the vice-president of the PE, Pina Picierno, who judges the abstention to be “a very serious act”. Sandro Gozi of Renew speaks of an «Italian pro-Putin party still alive and transversal» while Nicola Danti, from Iv, is ironic on the ancient yellow-green alliance: «Friends defend themselves until the last vote». Those directly involved immediately try to tone down the controversy. The Salvinians point the finger at the resolution, which “still contained slander linked to the League”, or the alleged relations between the party and United Russia. Fdi recalls that it has always expressed itself against Moscow’s interference but maintaining that the resolution in question was used as «a cudgel against political opponents, introducing a long series of fake news into the text and refusing to condemn Russian infiltration in political parties left”. The M5S uses a different line of defense and states that «it is unacceptable, however, to brand as pro-Russian those who oppose the sending of weapons to conflict zones, such as the Ukrainian one».
In reality, very little will remain of the resolution. At lunchtime, a long round of applause from the MEPs responds to the sober “many thanks” pronounced by President Roberta Metsola at the end of the legislature. S&D MEP Andreas Schieder chooses another way to greet the chamber: «Whoever votes for the far right – he says in closing – will vote for Putin». Today, the searches.
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