Eva Kaili has been detained for almost four months – since December 11 – in Belgian prisons, accused of corruption in the “Qatargate” scandal, and, according to all indications, she will remain incarcerated for some time to come.
It is noted that on Wednesday the highest court of annulment of Belgium rejected the appeal against the decision to pre-trial detention in the context of the investigation carried out by the Belgian authorities on the Qatargate case. Her partner Francesco Giorgi was also arrested for the case, but he has now been released with a bracelet.
iefimerida.gr addressed Eva Kaili’s advocate
Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, asking him the following four questions:
- Why does the MEP remain in custody?
- Why are there no pictures of her from the Belgian prison?
- Why is her partner Francesco Giorgi missing even though he is out of prison?
- Who has custody of their 2 year old daughter?
“Photos are prohibited, cell phones are being monitored”
Mr. Dimitrakopoulos stated that any photography of Eva Kaili is prohibited in the prison, just as mobile phones are prohibited to anyone who visits her. He even added that, when he has a personal meeting with Eva Kaili, whether they have a telephone conversation, the Belgian authorities monitor them.
” We understand that we are being watched, because as soon as we start to speak, the echo of the voice is heard. On the telephones, when we talk, the tape recorder goes in and the echo of the voice is heard again, but we can’t do anything,”he explains .
Why is there no picture of Georgi after his release from prison?
Eva Kaili’s partner, Francesco Giorgi, has been under house arrest with a bracelet since he was released from prison . In fact, to the question why no photo of him has been released after he was released from prison, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos answers: “He cannot be released. He is under house arrest. Possibly he goes out of the house in specific, minimal cases .
At the same time, he states that their 2-year-old daughter has been living with him since he was released from prison.
“The child is beginning to understand – He hides behind the chairs when the visit is over”
Their 2-year-old daughter Georgie-Kyli may be living with her father, but it seems she’s starting to pick up on something not quite right with her mother.
” Kylie’s child is with Georgie. They go there and he sees his mother twice a month. He has begun to understand that something is not right ,” says Mr. Dimitrakopoulos. He even adds that, when the visit is over, the little girl does not want to be separated from her mother. ” When the visit is over and he has to leave, he goes and hides behind the chairs “, characteristically describes the criminologist.
“They are using Kylie’s child as leverage to get her to plead guilty”
The fact that Eva Kaili is away from her daughter for so many months is what the Belgian authorities are trying to use as a means of pressure in order to withdraw from the same declaration of guilt for “Qatargate”, Mr. Dimitrakopoulos describes. ” They put too much pressure on her with the child to “break”” she emphasizes characteristically.
“I’m innocent, I can stand it, only if I can’t stand it away from the child will I sign guilt” says Eva Kaili
The well-known criminologist, who from the first moment he assumed the defense of Eva Kaili had declared pessimism about her possible release from prison, once again is clear in his statements: ” Eva Kaili will stay in prison for a long time “.
He quotes Eva Kaili’s words: ” She is not determined to plead guilty, only if she can’t stand being away from her child will she say to them, ‘Bring me to sign that I killed 2-3 people, do you want me to sign that I took them from wherever you want” . But he will only do this ”So far I’m holding out,’ ‘ he tells me.
What do the Belgian authorities want from Eva Kaili?
To the question about the period of pre-trial detention that applies in Belgium, Mr. Dimitrakopoulos replies that “it is of indefinite duration, it is not like here, i.e. 6 months or 18 months of temporary detention “. In fact, it also gives a timetable for when the trial may be set. ” From what the Belgian lawyers tell me, the trial is set for two years, so I think they will set us back a lot if he doesn’t plead guilty .”
The Belgian authorities want to send the message to the public that they are “too tough” and that this is how they deal with any MEP who is corrupt. However, as Mr. Dimitrakopoulos notes, ” they consider Eva Kaili to be corrupt, but they still cannot prove corruption , because money alone does not establish corruption, i.e. passive bribery “.
He reminds, in fact, that Eva Kaili could have been released from prison from the first moment, as long as she pleaded guilty, which the MEP did not want to do.
” Everyone is telling her to sign and get out. Only I tell her that, since she claims she hasn’t, it’s dishonorable, unfaithful to sign. There are only two people telling her not to sign: me and Sven Marie,” Mr. Dimitrakopoulos points out.
” We have been told since the first day, since December 10, that “if she signs that she got them from Qatar, that’s all they want, they don’t want the reason, “we don’t care”, they would have removed her from the first days”
” . Qatar? Why should I take the 250,000 in 2019?”.
Pancheri doesn’t blame Kaili for the money found in the house, but for 250,000 euros from the pre-election period in 2019 for the European elections ,” he adds.
“He has not received even 1 euro from anyone”
Mr. Dimitrakopoulos mentioned that Eva Kaili has categorically told him ” I have never received even 1 euro from Qatar or from any other country, company or individual “.
“Sven Marie agrees with me not to sign anything”
Commenting on the way of cooperation with Eva Kaili’s Belgian lawyers, Mr. Dimitrakopoulos states: ” Sven Marie has done a good job . Rizopoulos wanted to follow a different strategy.”
In closing, however, Mr. Dimitrakopoulos reiterated that Eva Kaili will hardly be released from prison soon. ” If she doesn’t give them something, they won’t let her go, because she will never plead guilty, ” he clarifies.
Source: iefimerida
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