EU Parliament votes to waive immunity of two MEPs

As part of a probe into the alleged bribery by Qatar and Morocco, French leftist party La France Insoumise Euro Deputy Manon Aubry uses her mobile phone to take part in a vote on a request for a waiver of immunity of MPs Marc Tarabella of Belgium and Italian Andrea Cozzolino's, which was held in a European Parliament in Brussels on February 2, 2023. The European Parliament EP has voted to waive immunity of two lawmakers after a request from Belgian judicial authorities to investigate a major corruption scandal rocking the European Union EU assembly.

The EP said that its members backed the decision to waive the immunities of Italian Member of Parliament MEP Andrea Cozzolino and Belgian lawmaker Marc Tarabella.

By a show of hands, the proposal was adopted by the Legal Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

The procedure to strip the two members of their parliamentary immunity would have been completed when the decision is formally communicated to both MEPs and the requesting authorities.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola started the procedure on January 16 after receiving requests from the competent authorities in Belgium as part of an investigation by the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor's Office.

Cozzolino and Tarabella have denied wrongdoing and have suspended their membership in the S&D group of Parliament's Socialists and Democrats.

READ MORE: EU parliament removes Kaili from post over graft charges.

Eva Kaili, who was stripped of her role as the EP vice president, has been charged with bribery charges. Prosecutors accuse the Greek Socialist MEP of corruption, membership in a criminal organization and money laundering.