It has been revealed that Latvian national Eldar Mamedov (50) has been dismissed by the general secretariat of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group and reported to the Belgian justice system as part of the ongoing investigation into suspected corruption in the European Parliament. His name has already been removed from the S&D website. It is said to have been reported by the security services of the Parliament. According to a source close to the judicial investigation, before his dismissal from the S&D group, the man was already in the sights of the investigators of the case led by Judge Michel Claise.
According to sources close to the Parliament, Eldar Mamedov is accused of having received tickets to a match of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, along with plane tickets and hotel reservations. Born in Latvia to an Azerbaijani family, he worked as a diplomat before becoming a political advisor to the S&D group some 15 years ago, specializing in foreign affairs.
A high five to Francesco Giorgi
The case of Eldar Mamedov was debated for a long time within the S&D group. He was, in fact, criticized for his pro-Armenian and pro-Iranian positions. He also tended to push pro-Russian amendments before the war, reinforcing suspicions that he was close to the Kremlin, stresses a source in the Parliament.
More recently, it has been his pro-Qatar views that have raised eyebrows in the Parliament. On December 1, at the very moment of the well-known vote in the LIBE Committee (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) allowing Qatari nationals to enter the European territory without a visa, the Parliament’s cameras captured Eldar Mamedov high-fiving Parliamentary Assistant Francesco Giorgi, who has now confessed to a whole series of facts in the case investigated by Judge Claise. On the same day, Vice President Eva Kaili came to vote in this committee, without having the right to do so, before falling into the arms of her fellow MEP, Belgian Marc Tarabella. Eva Kaili is to appear in court this Thursday.
Julien Balboni
Translated from French
Political PR agent of Iran and Armenia in the heart of Brussels
