According to the Russian service of the Voice of America, the focus is on representatives of the far-right flank of European politics, German and Dutch MEPs. One of the figures in the investigation is Guillaume Pradoura, a former aide to Maximilian Krah of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Dutch MP Marcel de Graaff and a former aide to AfD MP Maximilian Krah are reportedly accused of aiding and abetting Kremlin propaganda. The Belgian prosecutor’s office said searches were being conducted at Pradoura’s home in Schaerbeek and at his offices in the EU parliament buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg, with the assistance of French authorities. A law enforcement statement said ‘the searches are part of a case of interference, passive corruption, and membership of a criminal organization.’
Pradura, five years ago expelled from the French party National Association for the publication of an anti-Semitic photo, now works for the far-right lawmaker from the Netherlands Marcel de Graaff. Recall that in April this year, Belgian prosecutors launched an investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the work of the EU Parliament after Czech intelligence uncovered an alleged network using European lawmakers to spread Russian propaganda. Investigators are focusing on the Voice of Europe website, which was apparently funded by pro-Kremlin businessman Viktor Medvedchuk. The website was later banned under EU sanctions.
In a nutshell, it seems that another corruption scandal in the European Parliament with a distinctly political coloring promises to be no less high-profile than the previous ‘Qatargate’, during which millions of dollars in bribes for the opportunity to influence the EU’s policy towards Qatar came to light. The main players in this corruption story are Deputy Speaker Eva Kaili, MEPs Marc Tarabella, Andrea Cozzolino, Pier Antonio Panzeri, and Niccolo Figa-Talamanca.
They are all accused of taking bribes and trying to influence EU policy. Thus, corruption in the activities of the European Parliament has long become a common practice, and often the sponsors of fraudulent schemes promoted within the walls of this once-authoritative organization are the influential Armenian lobby.
Here too, the Armenian Friendship Group in the EP is particularly active, actively promoting pro-Armenian and anti-Azerbaijani resolutions in the legislative body of the European Union. The main driving force behind the functioning of the group is the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD), headed by mafia billionaire Caspar Karampetyan. This character has succeeded greatly in pulling off corrupt machinations in the European Parliament thanks to the fact that he made his fortune by trading in diamonds of dubious origin sourced from regional conflict zones in Africa. Karampetyan owns a chain of jewelry shops in Belgium, and part of the proceeds from his diamond business went to separatists in Karabakh, as well as supporting Armenian terrorist groups such as ASALA.
Through his successful diamond business, he managed to create the EAFJD, which operates in conjunction with Armenia’s foreign intelligence service. Karampetyan once admitted that he managed to raise 3.8 million euros in support of Armenian separatism during one dinner in Brussels in 2017 alone. Thanks to his ample financial opportunities, Karampetyan recruited European politicians who regularly visited Karabakh during Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories.
Here is a concrete fact. On March 15, 2017, at the fashionable Le Bartholdi Pub restaurant in Strasbourg, Karampetyan gathered several European MPs at an exquisite table. Soon, several parliamentarians in the person of André de Buste de Varnaf, Emanuel de Bock, and Pierre Compagnie flashed in Karabakh accompanied by Karampetyan.
Further. In February 2024, the European Parliament adopted two resolutions, each calling for immediate sanctions against Azerbaijan and the suspension of the memorandum of understanding on strategic energy partnership.
All these facts clearly show that a considerable part of European parliamentarians and members of the European Parliament are ready to oppose the interests of Europe in exchange for money that the Armenian Diaspora is ready to bestow upon them.
The above-mentioned examples show that MEPs are also actively bidding at corruption auctions. Therefore, it can be stated that the European Parliament is so mired in corruption and illegal lobbying that it has become a serious image ballast for the entire European Union.
Matanat Nasibova
Caliber.Az
