Belgian court prolongs pre-trial detention for graft case MEPs

Belgian judges on Friday prolonged the pre-trial detention of Greek MEP Eva Kaili, accused of receiving bribes from a corrupt network allegedly funded by Morocco and Qatar, for two more months.

A second MEP accused in the sprawling inquiry, Belgian Marc Tarabella, saw his pre-trial detention extended by one month, Brussels prosecutors announced.

Kaili, a former vice president of the European Parliament, has become the public face of a huge graft inquiry that sent shockwaves through the EU elected assembly and triggered international controversy.

Both Qatar and Morocco insist they played no role in the scandal, but prosecutors say the alleged ringleader -- detained former Italian MEP turned lobbyist Pier Panzeri -- has confessed to distributing cash bribes on their behalf to influence Brussels politicians.

Kaili, a 49-year-old former newsreader and rising star of European politics, has been detained for almost three months in a Belgian jail with limited access to her 24-month-old daughter.

Her partner, Francesco Giorgi, has been freed under electronic surveillance.

Tarabella was detained and charged later than the first batch of suspects on February 11.

His lawyer Maxime Toller insisted again Friday on his innocence and said he would continue to push for his release pending the eventual trial.

The first wave of arrests was launched on December 9 last year, when Belgian police seized more than 1.5 million euros in cash in raids around Brussels and arrested six suspects, including Kaili, Panzeri and Giorgi.

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