The Qataris have accused the Belgian government of making no attempt to hear their version of events regarding the corruption scandal in the European Parliament. The Gulf State also warns that the measures that have been taken by the European Parliament since the scandal came to light will have a "negative impact" on mutual relations and on the global gas supply.
Qatar slams "lack of cooperation" with Belgium in corruption investigation and warns of consequences for gas supply
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In a statement made by a Qatari diplomat, the Gulf State denies any involvement in the corruption scandal at the European Parliament. The scandal was exposed by the Belgian State Security Service and the Belgian Judicial Authorities. Several MEPs from the Social Democratic S&D Group are suspected of taken bribes from Qatar. The Qataris allegedly intended to use the bribes to influence the decision-making at the European Parliament. Morocco has also since been mentioned in the investigation.
Qatar "strongly denies" the allegations and says that it "deplores the selective conclusions that have been made based on misinformation that has come to light through leaks". The Gulf State is particularly critical of the Belgian government that it blames for not making any attempt to hear Qatar’s side of the story.
Although Qatar is not the only country mentioned in the investigation, the Qataris say that criticism and attacks resulting from it have "exclusively been directed towards Qatar". The Qatari government points to a "lack of cooperation from the Belgian government" that it says is a "close partner" for whom Qatar is "an important supplier" of liquefied natural gas.
The European Parliament also comes in for criticism. Last week the parliament decided to suspend all legislative work with Qatar and to temporarily ban Qatari lobbyists from its premises. According to Qatar, these measures have a "negative impact" on regional and global cooperation in the field of security, but also with regard to the global gas supply.