“I am waiting impatiently for the electronic bracelet to be found to get out of prison”: this is the comment made by the former vice-president of the European Parliament, Eva Cailli, speaking to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica just hours after it was announced that she will be released from prison.
Out of jail until Easter Monday at the latest
On Holy Wednesday it became known that the MEP is expected to be released from prison with an electronic bracelet after more than four months in Haren prison on Brussels.
Her release will possibly take place today or tomorrow, – by Easter Monday at the latest. The decision came as a surprise as it was announced a day before a scheduled appearance before a judge on Thursday morning.
Kaili will be submitted to regular hearings either to extend or revoke electronic surveillance. It is noted that Kaili has insisted on her innocence throughout the process.
Commenting on the decision, Kylie’s lawyer Sven Marie spoke of “a reasonable decision that we have been waiting for a long time”.
In an interview with Euronews on Tuesday, before the verdict was announced, Marie claimed that investigators had found no new evidence to support the case against Kaili and attacked the prosecutor’s office for keeping her behind bars. as a “trophy”.
Ms. Kaili’s lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulosstated the following: “Eva Kaili is leaving prison with her head held high and with dignity, she did not confess to crimes she did not commit, she will fight for her innocence until the end.”
“Her release was known to us since yesterday afternoon, when the federal prosecutor of Brussels contacted us and informed us that after consultation and agreement with the investigator Michel Clez, it was decided to release Ms. Kaili. We committed ourselves that until we formally have the investigator’s order, we will not make anything public,” said the MEP’s Greek lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, speaking to MEGA’s main news bulletin.
“In order not to make mistakes because there is a lot to hear, tomorrow the judicial council will not take place to ratify the order of the investigator by which Ms. Kaili is released. She ended the issue of her freedom formally. She will essentially be released when the electronic bracelet is found. Most likely he will be found by Friday, when he will be released. The longest period is until Monday.”
He also made references to the case file, for which he said that it is quite long and there is enough overwhelming evidence that will lead to her acquittal. In particular, she said that the information they have at their disposal is related to the money found in her home in Belgium.
The rationale for the decision
Eva Kaili will be placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring, even though the judges in the rationale of the decision for her release, insist that the reasons that kept her in prison for so long still apply.
However, according to legal circles, the rationale behind her release on parole is clearly “pretend”.
According to information, her release from prison was not made earlier, because she did not confess like the other accused in the case, while with regard to the statements of her partner Francesco Giorgi, they do not appear to have influenced the decision to release her.
Ms. Kaili will stay with her child at home, but not with her partner, which was also her wish.
Where are the investigations for Qatar Gate
Both Giorgi and the Italian former MEP Antonio Panzerithe alleged head of the bribery ring, who reached a plea deal with Belgian investigators, have been released on electronic monitoring.
Kaili’s release, according to Politico, opens a new chapter in the months-long effort by authorities to clarify who may have been under the influence of foreign governments while working in Parliament. But that doesn’t mean the process is moving toward a trial anytime soon, said Christian De Valkeneer, a professor of criminal law at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
However, the authorities soon they will no longer have anyone in prison, raising questions about where the research stands.
For months, prosecutors’ nets only widened as police arrested two more EU lawmakers, the Belgian Mark Tarabella and the Italian Andrea Coccolinoas well as an accountant in Italy, the Monica Bellini.
However investigations have slowed down in recent weeks, with no further arrests and with the gradual release of suspects under house arrest. Coccolino and Bellini are also both still in Italy, where local judges are asking Belgium for more information before ruling on the extradition request.
Source: CNN Greece
