Cryptocurrency advocate Eva Kaili of the European Parliament arrested on corruption charges

Eva Kaili, vice president of the European Parliament and a crypto-enthusiast, has been arrested by Belgian police in connection with a suspected corruption scheme involving Qatar, AFP reported.

The subject of the charges

The Greek politician has been suspended from the parliamentary group of Socialists and Democrats as well as the traditional Greek social democratic party PASOK until further notice. The source said the arrest in connection with a corruption investigation into World Cup host Qatar followed the detention of four other suspects earlier Friday, including a former Italian member of the European Parliament from the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group. His name was not specified.

According to the prosecutor's office, police have long suspected that a Gulf state was trying to influence the EU parliament, including by offering gifts and large sums of money to MEPs.

Possible effects

Thus, the crypto industry could lose a key politician in the European Parliament. Kylie was expected to lead the European Parliament's report on NFT and contribute to the DLT pilot regime project, which launches in March. She has been instrumental in shaping policy on crypto-assets and blockchain since 2018.