New Delhi

The European Parliament has decided to sack Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili from her post of vice-president following her alleged involvement in a corruption scandal involving Qatar. On Tuesday, the assembly voted 625 to one in favour of stripping her of her position. 

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In the past few days, several members of the European Parliament have been accused of receiving bribes from Qatar as 600,000 euros ($630,000) were found at the home of one suspect and over 150,000 euros were recovered from a flat belonging to an MEP. A source told AFP that “bags of cash” were also found in Kaili’s apartment resulting in the authorities invalidating her immunity. 

The Greek politician is currently in a Brussels prison but her lawyers have claimed she was innocent and "has nothing to do with Qatar's bribes".

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She will be taken in front of a Belgian judge along with three other co-accused in the case and the course of action will be decided by the court. 

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“Her position is she is innocent. She has nothing to do with Qatar's bribes," Kaili's lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told the private Greek television channel Open TV. 

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Reuters reported that Kaili visited Qatar just ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022 and even called the country the “front-runner in labour rights” despite its questionable record when it comes to human rights violations.

She also supported Qatar’s bid to win EU visa waivers for some of its citizens.