Greece freezes financial assets of European Parliament vice-president implicated in corruption case

The Greek anti-money laundering authority froze the financial assets of the Greek Eva Kailione of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament imprisoned in Brussels for her alleged involvement in a corruption scandal, the agency said on Monday.

The measure, which also applies to Kaili’s relatives, concerns “bank accounts, safe deposit boxes, companies and any other financial assets,” explained the president of the authority, Haralambos Vourliotis.

The Anti-Money Laundering Authority notified the measure to Greek banking institutions and the competent state services, Vourliotis said.

The asset freeze also affects members of his close family, such as his parents, according to the same source.

The authority is also targeting a recently created real estate company in the luxurious Kolonaki neighborhood of Athens, allegedly created by the 44-year-old MEP and her Italian partner, also imprisoned in Belgium.

The arrest of Eva Kaili, an MEP since 2014 and one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament since January, has caused shock in Europe, especially in her native country.

This former television presenter was accused of “corruption” on Sunday in Brussels, and imprisoned in the framework of the investigation by a Belgian judge into the large payments allegedly made by Qatar to influence the decisions of the highest institution of the European Union.