EU commissioner urges criminalizing all forms of corruption in member states

ANKARA (AA) – An EU commissioner on Tuesday condemned all those who take payoffs, kickbacks, and bribes and urged the criminalization of all forms of corruption in all the bloc’s member states.

“There must be zero tolerance for corruption. Corruption is a crime that undermines our democracy, economy, and society,” Ylva Johansson, commissioner for home affairs, said in a speech to the European Parliament.

“Last Friday it was international anti-corruption day. On this day of all days, Belgian authorities carried out several searches on addresses in Brussels,” she said.

“As of last evening, 20 searches have been carried out. On suspicion of involvement in organized crime, corruption and money laundering. They filed charges against four people. Including one former member of parliament. And a vice president of the European Parliament,” she added, referring to Eva Kaili, whose term of office the parliament on Tuesday decided to terminate.

Kaili, one of the 14 vice presidents of the European legislative body from Greece’s central-left PASOK-KINAL party, was arrested last Friday by Belgian police after her house was searched on corruption charges allegedly linked to Qatar.

Margaritis Schinas, vice president of the European Commission, has also been chastised for his ties to Qatar following the European Parliament-linked corruption inquiry, and has stated that he did not get anything from Qatar “other than soccer balls and chocolates.”

Qatar has rejected any connection to accusations of misconduct that have shaken the European Parliament. “Qatar categorically rejects any attempts to associate it with accusations of misconduct. Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed,” Doha’s mission to the EU said in a statement Sunday.