First, it was a future king.
Prince Charles personally accepted suitcases and shopping bags stuffed with millions of dollars’ worth of cash from a controversial Qatari politician between 2011 and 2015, according to an explosive new report.
“Everyone felt very uncomfortable about the situation,” a former adviser to the Prince of Wales told the Sunday Times of London.
Now, it’s the European Parliament.
A series of at least 16 raids by the Belgian federal police Friday netted five people they said had committed “alleged offenses of criminal organization, corruption and money laundering.” The morning searches yielded €600,000 in cash, plus phones and computers…
By the evening, however, it was clear this wasn’t just a story of some has-beens and wannabes lining their pockets. Eva Kaili, a vice president of the European Parliament and vocal defender of Doha, landed in police custody, according to the Belgian federal police. The case also centers around an NGO that, until recently, counted some of the biggest luminaries in left-wing politics among its board members.
Kaili has also emerged as one of the most vocal defenders of Qatar. She recently called the country a “frontrunner in labor rights” after meeting with the country’s labor minister, despite deep international concerns about conditions for stadium construction workers. A member of the center-left Socialist & Democrat (S&D) party, her portfolio includes special responsibilities related to the Middle East.
Kaili’s partner and co-parent, Francesco Giorgi, has also been detained, according to police and people with direct knowledge. He’s an adviser on the Middle East and North Africa region in the European Parliament — and a founder of an NGO called Fight Impunity
Crucially, Fight Impunity’s president is Pier Antonio Panzeri, a central figure in the case. Panzeri, an Italian ex-MEP also from the S&D, was among those arrested Friday morning. By the evening, his wife and daughter were also nabbed by Italian police.
There’s a lot more of that. And there’s no need for Americans to look smug. In Europe, you can still publicly criticize Qatar. In America, criticism of the Islamic terror state linked to everything from Hamas to Al Qaeda to the Muslim Brotherhood to the Taliban simply does not exist.
The media is in Qatar’s pocket, from the Washington Post and its grand Khashoggi crusade, to MSNBC and the New York Times which vigorously defended it during the World Cup. Al Jazeera, Qatar’s state propaganda network, virtually defines the coverage of the region.
And politics? The Democrats are owned by Qatar, but few Republicans criticize it either. One of the few Republicans to regularly talk about Qatar’s control over our politics is Senator Ted Cruz.
Otherwise, crickets.
Recently, I had an article on the revelation that Qatar’s domestic operatives were spying on a Republican congressman who had been critical of the Muslim Brotherhood. What should be a major story has been fairly thoroughly buried.
The European media at least runs negative coverage of Qatar and is now busting up some of its hirelings. If we did that in D.C., I’m not sure anyone would be left.
Algorithmic Analyst says
Farage said corruption is out of control at the European Parliament. I can believe it, the way they are structured.
112 says
Jews would give new political leaders a free farm, and they wouldn’t need to be corrupt. Didn’t stop then by the end but worked for a bit.
Cassandra says
This isn’t Stormfront or Der Sturmer, you’re in the wrong place, Nazi
Steven Kardas says
The money flows freely behind the scenes buying favors ,influence, from the connected and powerful while the peasants struggle to survive. .
THX 1138 says
Petro dollar, lobbying, power. Now ask your self in whose hands do those petro dollars and the oil they come from really, morally, belong?
“Truman and Eisenhower surrendered the West’s property rights in oil, although that oil rightfully belonged to those in the West whose science, technology, and capital made its discovery and use possible.” – Leonard Peikoff
“Lobbying” is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy—of government by pressure groups. Its methods range from mere social courtesies and cocktail-party or luncheon “friendships” to favors, threats, bribes, blackmail.” – Ayn Rand
“The Pull Peddlers” – Ayn Rand
Mo de Profit says
I am inclined to agree with Piekoff on this one, but, and its a big but, the Arabs owned the land and in my world if you own the land you own everything below it. So what Piekoff is suggesting would be theft and that is morally wrong.
What we should have done was pay them for the privilege of extracting it but the Arabs were inspired by Woodrow Wilson is my understanding and later OPEC discovered that they had power and never looked back.
Spurwing Plover says
The UK needs to withdraw from the European Union and leave the Globalists back to their hole they came out of
Mo de Profit says
Here’s me thinks that an election held some 5 years ago meant that the PEOPLE of Great Britain decided to leave.
Sadly the politicians decided otherwise and they are almost all globalist elites.
King Charles will fit in beautifully with the corrupt cronies.
Mandy says
I believe the same has occurred in our US Congress and is the reason they wanted Trump out of the presidency.