World

Brought down by a bag of cash: The politician fighting to clear her name

Published

1 year ago

December 8, 2023

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A year ago, Eva Kaili was one of the rising stars of European politics.

Then, her career collapsed spectacularly after police found large sums of money in her flat.

The Greek politician was arrested and charged with being part of an international corruption conspiracy in which her partner is also implicated.

Kaili, who denies all charges, was held in prison for four months with limited access to her young daughter.

Her career, it seemed, was over.

But now, there is a chance the case against her might collapse. She hasn’t been formally charged and has returned to work as an MEP, albeit as an independent. She has also launched a legal challenge to clear her name.

“According to my Belgian lawyers, I was used as a trophy,” she says.

As one of the European Parliament’s small group of vice presidents, her remit included technology, artificial intelligence and business foresight. But she was brought down by that most old-fashioned of things – a bag of cash.

The morning her life started unravelling is etched into her memory.

A text from a friend said something had happened to her partner, Francesco Giorgi, and the police were involved.

Kaili panicked, she says, thinking he had been in a car accident. There was no answer from his phone.

‘It was a bag I didn’t recognise’

Then another message arrived – Giorgi had been arrested in an investigation linked to his boss, the former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who was now a well-paid lobbyist. That was when she went into Giorgi’s office and discovered a suitcase full of cash.

“It’s his private space. I was looking for something to understand why he was arrested,” she says. ” I discovered a bag of money. It was a bag I didn’t recognise. I understood it to be Panzeri’s, so I wanted to return it.”

Kaili claims she called the police and when she couldn’t get through to anyone, decided the best course of action was to get the money out of her flat.

“I didn’t know what it was, and I didn’t want to know what it was.”

Her father Alexandros was visiting and it was decided he would take the money to his hotel which was a short walk from the parliament. The plan, she says, was for Panzeri to pick it up from there. Instead, her father was detained at the hotel and Kaili was arrested.

Kaili claims wiretaps prove money wasn’t hers

The charges against her centred on an alleged cash-for-access scheme in which foreign nations, notably Qatar and Morocco, paid to gain influence at the European Parliament. The interests they sought to advance included softening EU criticism of Qatar’s record on human rights ahead of the 2022 World Cup, and winning support for the country’s aspiration for a visa-free travel deal with Europe. This led to the scandal being nicknamed Qatargate.

Kaili maintains her innocence. She says she had no prior knowledge of the money, that she guessed it was Panzeri’s because of his link to her partner, and simply wanted to get it back to him. After her arrest, the European media went into a frenzy over the case – portraying Kaili as the prosecutor’s big prize in their bid to bust a corruption ring which brought in millions of euros.

In person, Kaili, a former Greek TV presenter, flits between being confident and nervous. She is clearly consumed with the quest to get the case against her dropped. She follows coverage of her case intimately, knows the allegations and has files of documents.

“Was any of the money in that bag your money?” I asked her.

“No. Just Panzeri’s. There are wiretaps that prove this.”

This, she says, is evidence from the secret service seen by her legal team which we cannot verify.

‘They want to bury the case’

In prison, she claims she was intimidated and warned that, if she didn’t make a confession, her toddler would be taken away from her.

“They threatened to give my daughter to the social services. I couldn’t see her for a month. She was 20 months old. She had been constantly with me and suddenly she wasn’t.

“I was shocked these things could happen in Europe.”

The Belgian federal prosecutor told Sky News there was “no evidence of such a practice” and that such behaviour would be “unacceptable in a state governed by the rule of law”.

Her defence hinges on her claims that her right to parliamentary immunity was ignored, that she was spied on and that the prosecutor knows she is innocent but is prolonging the pain to avoid embarrassment.

“They want to bury the case until after the European elections and after the Belgian elections,” she says, both of which are due to be held in June 2024.

In a statement, the federal prosecutor denied that claim, saying the timescale was decided by the magistrate. They also said that efforts made by Kaili’s team to review the investigation could “extend the duration of the proceedings until a date that is likely to be after the election”.

Sven Mary, one of her lawyers, told me, with a sliver of knowing hyperbole, that he would compare this to a Belgian form of Watergate. “It’s about the intrusion of the institution,” he said. “We could not believe these things can still happen in 2022 or 2023.

“Clearly something [criminal] happened but the secret services made a file in which a lot of names were mentioned, but not Eva Kaili. And then several months later, her name suddenly appears.”

Nobody questions that at the heart of this something stinks. Panzeri confessed almost immediately – and in January, signed a deal in which he agreed to give evidence in return for a reduced sentence. He then named Kaili’s partner, Giorgi, as a trusted assistant, and later named Kaili herself.

‘Her career is over’

Few people want to talk about the case publicly. Juri Laas, a spokesperson for the European Parliament, is careful with his words.

“The European Parliament has done everything in its power to assist in investigations,” he said.

I spoke to one well-placed official who doesn’t want to go on the record, but knows the case well. “I don’t know if she’s guilty or not, but from a political perspective it may not matter – her career is over.”

The prosecutor was keen to avoid any further speculation.

“The whole case will be heard in open court when it is presented to the trial judge, who will assess the arguments of the parties on the basis of the evidence gathered,” they said.

This is a complex, often bewildering story that began with a bang – politicians arrested, money seized, shockwaves running through the Brussels establishment. Now, it has faded into the political background and it is unclear if any formal charges will be brought against her, or if a trial will ever happen.

Innocent or guilty, for now Eva Kaili will continue to live in limbo.

World

Kristi Noem: Top Trump official’s handbag – containing $3,000 in cash and security pass – stolen in burger restaurant

Published

31 mins ago

April 22, 2025

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Kristi Noem: Top Trump official's handbag - containing ,000 in cash and security pass - stolen in burger restaurant

A bag belonging to the US Homeland Security Secretary was stolen on Sunday night – containing thousands of dollars in cash and an ID card that gives access to secure agency buildings.

Kristi Noem was eating at a Washington DC burger restaurant with family when a man in a face covering sat near her table and stole her purse, according to two people familiar with the theft.

Officials confirmed the theft to Sky News’ US partner NBC News on Monday.

The cabinet secretary was carrying $3,000 (£2,243) in cash because “her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren”, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NBC.

“She was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities and Easter gifts.”

Just before 8pm, a man wearing an N-95 mask walked into the restaurant and up a few stairs to where Ms Noem was eating dinner.

He sat near her table and moved his chair close to hers before sliding her purse toward him with his foot, according to surveillance footage viewed by law enforcement, the sources said.

Within minutes, the man had Ms Noem’s purse under his jacket and walked out of the restaurant.

At least two on-duty members of the US Secret Service were in the restaurant – between Ms Noem and the front doors – according to a source who witnessed the meal.

They said the restaurant wasn’t very busy at the time.

The purse also contained credit cards, blank cheques, her passport, driver’s licence and a set of keys.

It’s unclear whether Ms Noem was specifically targeted – and investigators are looking into whether the man knew who the purse belonged to.

When asked about the incident, Ms Noem said: “I don’t think I can comment on it yet. It’s not resolved yet.”

She said the Secret Service was aware but said she hadn’t spoken to agency personnel about what happened.

Ms Noem is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s policies of deporting undocumented immigrants and fortifying the US-Mexico border to slow illegal migration.

World

Starmer and Zelenskyy discuss ending Russia’s ‘brutal war’ – as Putin says says he is open to bilateral talks on longer ceasefire

Published

4 hours ago

April 22, 2025

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Starmer and Zelenskyy discuss ending Russia's 'brutal war' - as Putin says says he is open to bilateral talks on longer ceasefire

Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about ending Russia’s “brutal war” on Ukraine in their latest phone call on Easter Monday, as Vladimir Putin said he was open to bilateral talks.

The prime minister and Ukrainian president spoke on Monday afternoon, when Sir Keir “reiterated his iron-clad support for Ukraine“.

A Downing Street spokesperson added that the prime minister “said that the UK supports Ukraine’s calls for Russia to commit to a full ceasefire and that now is the time for Putin to show he is serious about ending his brutal war”.

“They discussed the latest developments on the Coalition of the Willing, and looked forward to further progress towards a just and lasting peace,” the spokesperson added.

Mr Zelenskyy later said on social media that he had a “good and detailed conversation” with the prime minister, and added Ukrainian officials will be in London for talks on ending the war with Russia on Wednesday.

“We are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace,” he added.

The Ukrainian president added that the 30-hour Easter truce, which both Kyiv and Moscow accuse the other of violating, showed that Russia “are prolonging the war”.

It comes as Mr Putin proposed bilateral talks with Ukraine on a longer ceasefire, which would mark the first time Russia held such talks since a failed peace deal soon after the invasion in 2022.

Speaking to a state TV reporter, the Russian president said: “We always have a positive attitude towards a truce, which is why we came up with such an initiative (the Easter truce), especially since we are talking about the bright Easter days.”

When asked about Mr Zelenskyy’s calls to extend the 30-hour ceasefire into a 30-day pause on civilian targets, he added: “This is all a subject for careful study, perhaps even bilaterally. We do not rule this out.”

The Ukrainian president said on Sunday evening that the Russian army had “violated Putin’s ceasefire more than 2,000 times” during the day, and accused Russia of “failing” to “uphold its own promise of a ceasefire”.

It also comes after Donald Trump has said he hopes Russia and Ukraine “will make a deal this week,” after he and his secretary of state Marco Rubio warned that the US will walk away from efforts to broker a peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress soon.

The US president said on his Truth Social platform that both countries would “start to do big business” with the US after ending the war.

Last month, Ukraine accepted Mr Trump’s proposal for a 30-day truce, but Mr Putin refused to back a full 30-day ceasefire, saying crucial issues of verification had not been sorted out.

He then said he would agree not to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, both sides have accused each other of breaking the moratorium on attacks on energy targets and at sea.

World

Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales begins eight-month deployment

Published

4 hours ago

April 22, 2025

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Royal Navy's flagship HMS Prince of Wales begins eight-month deployment

The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales is to begin an eight-month deployment to send a “powerful message” of the UK’s naval and air power.

Operation Highmast will take in joint exercises and visits with 40 countries across the Mediterranean, Middle East, southeast Asia, Japan and Australia.

The £3bn aircraft carrier is scheduled to sail from Portsmouth on Tuesday, accompanied from the navy base by Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, to join a formation of warships, supply ships and aircraft off the coast of Cornwall.

HMS Prince of Wales, as the biggest class of ship in the Royal Navy, is leading Carrier Strike Group 25 (CSG25) with the involvement of around 2,500 personnel from the Royal Navy, 592 from the Royal Air Force and 900 from the Army.

Later during the deployment, as many as 4,500 military personnel will be involved in exercises in the Indo-Pacific region. Forces from Norway, Canada and Spain are among 12 other nations taking part in operations.

The CSG’s first task will be to join a NATO exercise off France testing aerial defences before the ships move on to the Mediterranean to work with an Italian-led carrier force and then head east via the Red Sea.

Other military assets include a contingent of up to 24 Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning fighter jets, Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters, Merlin Mk4 Commando and Wildcat helicopters along with T-150 Malloy and Puma drones.

Commodore James Blackmore, CSG commander, said the deployment would send a “powerful message” of the UK’s naval and air power.

He said: “It’s about supporting key trade routes that exist from the Indo-Pacific region to the UK, and supporting partners and allies in the region, showing that we are there as a capable and credible force should it be required.

“Operation Highmast will demonstrate credible deterrence and our support to NATO and the rules-based international order.”

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, called it an “immensely complex operation” which sends “a powerful message of deterrence to any adversary”.

“This is a unique opportunity for the UK to operate in close coordination with our partners and allies in a deployment that not only shows our commitment to security and stability, but also provides an opportunity to bolster our own economy and boost British trade and exports,” he added.