Lawyers for former European Parliament vice-president Eva Kaili are making serious accusations against the judiciary. They say her client was tortured.
Eva Kaili, the former vice-president of the European Parliament jailed on corruption charges, is being tortured in prison, according to her lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos. Her client was placed in solitary confinement “from Wednesday, January 11 to Friday, January 13, by order of investigating judge Michel Claise,” Dimitrakopoulos said.
During that time, Kaili sat in a police cell and in the cold for 16 hours. “She was denied a second blanket and her coat was taken away. The cell light was on all the time, preventing her from sleeping. She had her period with heavy bleeding, was sick and was not allowed to wash. This is torture. “, Dimitrakopoulos told media gathered in Brussels.
Eva Kaili was deposed
The European Parliament sacked Kaili with an overwhelming majority in December, shortly after corruption allegations against the 44-year-old and other suspects became known. The Greek politician and three other suspects are accused of money laundering and corruption. The state of the Gulf of Qatar and Morocco would have tried to influence the decisions of the European Parliament. Both countries reject this.
“But the presumption of innocence always applies,” said his lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos. “We are in Europe. This action violates the European Convention on Human Rights, this action dates back to the Middle Ages. Please publish this. I expect a fair trial. We are in Europe,” continued the lawyer.
Eva Kaili has only had two opportunities to see her 23-month-old daughter “in the six weeks she has been locked up because of cataracts”. For Dimitrakopoulos, this goes against “common sense”. If judges rule on Thursday that Kaili’s detention should be extended, the former parliamentary vice-president will not be able to see her daughter “until February”, the lawyer added.
Mastermind “Buy a Future for Yourself”
André Rizopoulos, the other lawyer on Kaili’s defense team, commented on the settlement that the mastermind of the EU corruption scandal, Pier Antonio Panzeri, negotiated with prosecutors on Wednesday. Panzeri faces a prison sentence, but according to his lawyer, most of it could be suspended. The prison sentence totals five years, of which Panzeri must remain in prison for a year or wear an ankle bracelet, his lawyer Laurent Kennes told Belgian broadcaster RTL.
Rizopoulos said: “He’s buying himself a future. That’s fine and as a lawyer I understand him very well.” Panzeri “now knows when his sentence will end, he knows who are the people he wants to protect, probably his family in the first place”, added the Greek lawyer.
Rfi navigation account, time 20 minutes 01/19/2023, 17:51 | Act: 01/19/2023, 5:51 pm