Spicy in terms of corruption scandal: EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola belatedly released a list of gifts she received in 2022.
Roberta Metsola is said to have received around 140 gifts since the beginning of last year. The senior politician disclosed the information on the European Parliament’s website. Metsola’s spokesperson emphasized:
According to the information obtained, scarves, books and wine are among the gifts. The entry was made on 12 January, but the EU Parliament’s rules of procedure require an entry no later than the end of the month following its receipt.
Metsola spokesperson: “As transparent as possible”
Anyone who violates these internal rules does not have to be punished. The Code of Conduct stipulates that sanctions can only be applied for violations.
His spokesperson said that Metsola actually wanted to disclose the gifts only at the end of his term, as has been done by other presidents. “We are now trying to be as transparent as possible.”
Several MPs report gifts
In addition to Metsola, only a handful of lawmakers have announced gifts on the relevant list since the beginning of 2020, including many Germans. Among them are Green politicians Hannah Neumann, Nicola Beer (FDP) and David McAllister and Daniel Caspary (both CDU).
The German MEP Freund praised the action of the Speaker of the Parliament. The delay is just a flaw.
The delay is a fault. The EU Parliament has been plagued by a corruption scandal since December. The judiciary accused former parliamentary deputy speaker Eva Kaili of involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption.
Source: ZDF
I am Timothy Glover, a professional journalist and content creator. I specialize in writing and editing for news websites, specifically covering politics. I have been working as an author at News Unrolled for the past five years and have built up a reputation for producing quality content that is both informative and engaging.
