Rome, Feb. 12, (dpa/GNa) - Italian EU lawmaker Andrea Cozzolino has been placed under house arrest as authorities investigate his suspected involvement in the European Parliament corruption scandal.
A judge in Naples ordered Cozzolino, 60, to be released from police custody but to remain under house arrest. Cozzolina was arrested on Friday under a European warrant issued by Belgian authorities. The judge ruled Cozzolino does not pose a flight risk, as Italian courts weigh an extradition request from Belgian prosecutors.
Investigators in Belgium have accused the Italian politician of taking bribes from third countries such as Qatar and Morocco in exchange for using his influence as a member of the EU legislature. Cozzolino has denied the allegations.
A hearing on Cozzolino’s potential extradition to Belgium is scheduled for Tuesday morning before an Italian appeals court in Naples.
Cozzolino’s lawyers called his arrest and jailing “humiliating and unfounded”, according to the Ansa news agency. The lawyer said Cozzolino has agreed to cooperate with investigators ever since the corruption scandal broke in December.
Cozzolino’s immunity as an EU lawmaker was recently lifted.
He is one of a number of EU parliamentarians caught up in allegations of influence buying by Qatar and Morocco. The scandal has shaken the parliament since then-vice president Eva Kaili was arrested by Belgian authorities.
Kaili, a former Greek television journalist, was stripped of her leadership role following her arrest on charges of corruption and money laundering.
GNA