Crime & Justice

Morocco slams EU parliament corruption probe as ‘harassment’

Rabat, Jan 5 (EFE).- Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita Thursday described an investigation into allegations that Morocco and Qatar attempted to bribe European Union lawmakers to influence decisions as “continuous judicial harassment” and “repeated media attacks.”

In a joint press conference with EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell, Bourita said these attacks have “the will to damage” the partnership between Morocco and the European Union.

“It is a partnership that faces continuous judicial harassment, repeated media attacks (…) through questions directed at Morocco that are the result of calculations and a desire to harm this partnership,” he stressed.

Borrell, meanwhile, expressed his concern about the corruption scandal that has rocked the EU parliament and urged Morocco to wait for the results of the investigation conducted by the Belgian police.

“We are concerned about these events and the charges are serious. In the EU, there can be no impunity for corruption,” Borrell said, calling on all parties to collaborate.

The corruption scandal, known as Qatargate, broke out in December when several people, including former European Parliament vice president Eva Kaili and former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, were arrested by Belgian police. EFE

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