The leading actor of the bribery scandal in the EU: Who is the Greek MP Eva Kaili?

Kaili is accused of illegally lobbying EU institutions for financial gain in favor of Qatar.

The Greek parliamentarian was immediately removed from his immunity and detained on the grounds that she was caught red-handed. Kaili was also removed from her position as the Vice President of the European Parliament.

Eva Kaili's father and wife were also questioned in Greece as part of the investigation.

This scandal caused a political storm in Brussels with new surprises almost every hour.

Who is Eva Kaili?

Eva Kaili, 44, is the daughter of electrical engineer Aleksandros Kailos from Istanbul, who graduated from Zoğrafyon High School, a Greek school in Beyoğlu, considered the heart of Istanbul, and Maria Ignatiadu, a poet-writer from Thessaloniki.

Eva Kaili was born on October 26, 1978, in Greece. She studied architecture and civil engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She was President of Kaili PASOK Youth in 1992, Architecture Students Association in 2001, and was the youngest member elected to Thessaloniki City Council until 2002. She has been doing a Ph.D. in International Economic Policy at the University of Piraeus since 2014.

Kaili started her career as a presenter on the MEGA television channel in Greece.

Haili was elected to the Greek Parliament in 2007 as a member of PASOK at the age of 29.

In 2009, PASOK came to power under the leadership of Georges Papandreou. Before the vote of confidence held in the parliament in 2011 for Papandreou, who was harshly criticized for not being able to manage the country's debt crisis, Kaili initially stated that she would not support it, but later changed his mind and sided with the PASOK leader.

In 2014, Kaili was elected a member of the European Parliament.

While joining the Social Democratic Group in the European Parliament, Kaili came to the fore with her good relations with the media. Kaili has become a prominent politician in the European Parliament, by handling complex files such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, and blockchain, which are increasingly prominent in the EU and deeply affecting the digital agenda.

By 2021, Kaili was receiving a monthly salary of 7,146 euros from the AP after the tax cut, while she was still paid 4,778 euros per month for travel and other expenses.

Kaili also began to take part in the Subcommittee (DARP) established by the AP with the Arab countries in the Gulf during these years.

What does she say about her colleague Kaili?

DARP Chairman, German parliamentarian Hannah Neumann summarized her memories with the Greek parliamentarian as follows:

“During his tenure, Kaili realized that some embassies tried to influence the committee's decisions much more aggressively than others. It was quite clear that several colleagues within the Social Democratic Group supported a strong Qatar. However, I never thought that in some cases it could be linked to illegal outside interference, and these allegations really shocked me. If it turns out that Qatar or any other country is trying to impress the members of the European Parliament with large bribes, it will be a heavy burden for us as well for diplomatic relations and my work on the committee.”

Eva Kaili was named one of the AP's 14 vice presidents in January. This election was interpreted as a clear indication of the support given to the Greek parliament by their Socialist colleagues in the EP.

Journalists following the EU immediately scrutinized the previous speeches of the Greek parliamentarian and hint that she had an 'inappropriately' close relationship with Qatar.

Social media posts reveal that Kaili traveled to Qatar in early November to meet with the country's prime minister, labor minister, and energy minister.

After this visit, Kaili's speech in the European Parliament is seen to praise Qatar's reforms in business life and describe this country as "a good neighbor and partner".

In his speech at the plenary, the Greek parliamentarian took part in the memorandums for the World Cup held in Qatar, where she said "sports diplomacy is proof of how a country can realize its historical transformation with reforms that inspired the Arab world".

What does Qatar say about the allegations?

Qatar, on the other hand, denied allegations that it bribed strategically located people to influence some of the European Parliament's economic and political decisions.