Belgian investigators searched offices at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday, in a probe into alleged bribes from World Cup host Qatar. It was the 20th search carried out since Friday and the parliament president, Roberta Metsola, warned MEPs that "democracy is under attack". Belgian police have charged four people, among them European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili, a Greek MEP. Qatar has denied any wrongdoing and Kaili's lawyer says she is innocent. "She declares her innocence and that she has nothing to do with bribery from Qatar," Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told Greek TV on Tuesday. Belgian prosecutors said cash worth about €600,000 ($632,000; £515,000) was found at the home of one suspect, €150,000 at the flat of an MEP and several hundred thousand euros in a suitcase in a Brussels hotel room. Computers and mobile phones were also taken. Asked if money had been found at Kaili's apartment, her lawyer said: "I have no idea if any money was found or how much was found." The allegations have cast a shadow over the role of lobbying groups at the European Parliament. A recommendation to allow visa-free travel to the EU for Qataris was set to be voted on by MEPs this week but has now been shelved. Three of the four suspects in the affair are all thought to be Italians, including Pier Antonio Panzeri, an Italian former MEP who now runs a human rights group. Searches have taken place in Italy as well as in Brussels. Since Friday, the IT resources of 10 parliamentary employees have been "frozen" to prevent the disappearance of data necessary for the investigation. The four suspects arrested by Belgian police have been charged with "participation in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption", prosecutors said in a statement on Sunday. They will appear before a pre-trial court on Wednesday. Kaili - an MEP for eight years - was suspended from her duties as one of 14 vice-presidents by parliament president, Ms Metsola. A vote will take place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday to strip Ms Kaili of her roles, ahead of an emergency debate on the scandal. She has also been suspended from the parliament's Socialists and Democrats Group and expelled from the Greek center-left Pasok party. Greek authorities have frozen assets belonging to Ms Kaili, her husband and immediate family members. The activities of a property company set up about two weeks ago by the MEP and her husband in Athens have also been frozen. Six people were detained on Friday as part of the investigation into allegations that Qatar bribed EU officials to win influence. Two were later released. No suspects have been publicly named, but Ms Kaili is understood to be among those who have been indicted. The three other accused are all Italian citizens and her partner Francesco Giorgi, who is a parliamentary assistant, is among those reportedly charged. Former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who now runs human rights group Fight Impunity, is also among the four, sources say. His wife and daughter were also reportedly arrested. Another suspect, according to Italian news agency Ansa, is Niccolò Figa-Talamanca, who runs lobby group No Peace Without Justice. The head of the general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, Luca Visentini, was questioned and later released. He said later he had been able to answer all questions put to him. BBC Brussels correspondent Jessica Parker says details released by Belgian authorities in the last few days left many people's jaws on the floor in EU circles. MEPs who spoke to our correspondent say they are shocked by both the scale and blatancy of the accusations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the accusations were "very serious" and called for the creation of a new ethics body to oversee the bloc. Ms Metsola vowed to MEPs that the parliament's integrity would be restored. "European democracy is under attack and our free and democratic societies are under attack," she said. Watchdogs and MEPs said the bribery investigation could represent one of the biggest corruption scandals in the parliament's history. Prosecutors said they suspected a Gulf state had been influencing economic and political decisions of the parliament for several months, especially by targeting aides. Local media has named the state as Qatar, although the Qatari government said any claims of misconduct were "gravely misinformed". Ms Kaili's responsibilities as vice-president include the Middle East. She has been a defender of Qatar in the past. Green MEP Daniel Freund, who heads a cross-party anti-corruption group, told the BBC that the Parliament had "reasonably good lobby transparency rules" but that third countries like Qatar were excluded from them: "So I think these third countries should go on the lobby register." The European Parliament is the EU's only directly elected institution. Some 705 members of parliament, elected by voters in the 27 nations which make up the EU, meet to scrutinize legislation and vote through European law. MEPs generally enjoy immunity from prosecution, but not in cases where "a member is found in the act of committing an offense parliament says. — BBC
