Eve Kaili, a former vice president of the European Parliament, has complained about her treatment in a Belgian prison cell. The Greek Euro MP is being held in connection with the corruption scandal at the European Parliament. Qatar and Morocco stand accused of providing bribes to influence the parliament’s decisions.
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Former European Parliament vice president Kaili claims ‘torture’ in Belgian cell
Colin Clapson
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Kaili was arrested and is suspected of accepting bribes. She has been in a Belgian prison since 9 December. During a raid large quantities of cash were found at her home. The Euro MP maintains her innocence. Her lawyer today argued in court she should be released and placed under electronic supervision.
Kaili’s lawyers also complained about the conditions of her detention. They told the court she had only seen her 23-month-old child twice during this time. Last week she was placed in isolation and not allowed any contact with others.
The lawyers claim she was held in a cold isolation cell for 16 hours and not even given a second blanket. The light remained on making it hard for her to seep.
Lawyer Dimitrakopoulos told the couart this amounted to torture: “Kaili has been identified as a suspect, but there is still a presumption of innocence. We are in Europe but these acts violate the European Treaty on Human Rights. These are the Middle Ages”.