Morocco Implicated in Widening European Parliament Corruption Scandal

After Qatar, Morocco is suspected of having corrupted members of the European Parliament, including Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian MEP, currently incarcerated in Brussels as part of the investigation into corruption that is shaking the European Parliament. The latter would have defended its interests, particularly the issue of the Sahara, a territory disputed by Rabat and the Polisario, protected by Algeria. "The best way to manage this pressure is to channel it through Antonio Panzeri. On this issue, Antonio Panzeri has been doing methodical work since his election as head of the Maghreb delegation," estimates former Portuguese MEP Ana Gomes to BFMTV.

In total, 700,000 euros in cash were found at Panzeri’s home in Brussels during the search. According to the confessions of his assistant Francesco Giorgi, a good part of it would come from Morocco. This, through the intermediary of the former European deputy’s friend, Abderrahim Atmoune, former parliamentarian turned Moroccan ambassador to Poland. The two men regularly met as co-chairs of a body for exchanges between the European and Moroccan Parliaments.

In addition to Panzeri, other elected officials such as Gilles Pargneaux, a socialist MEP until 2019, who was also president of the EU-Morocco friendship group, are said to have done favors for Morocco in exchange for gifts and decorations.