Greece seeks info on bank transfers from Qatar linked to EU scandal probe

The president of the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority Jarálambos Vurliotis, has sent a letter to the corresponding authorities in Panama in which he requests information on whether money remittances have been transferred from Qatar to the accounts of the former vice president of the European Parliament Eva Kailí and her partner, the Italian Francesco Giorgi.

According to local media reports, Vurliotis has requested “urgently” information about alleged transfers for a total of $28 million from Qatar to accounts opened by the couple and relatives.

The case of the existence of these deposits in Panama arose after the appearance on the internet of information showing documents from Banco Bladex of Panama that show that $20 million would have been transferred from Qatar to an account in the name of Eva Kailí; $4 million to one in which her father, Aléxandros, appears as the owner, and another $4 million to a deposit opened by her mother, Maria Ignatiadu.

 Banco Bladex issued a statement indicating that, after carrying out due diligence and traceability of its operations, it found that “there is no relationship, direct or indirect, of the persons” indicated with the banking institution.

The bank also stated that “we do not offer banking services to natural persons and we do not make transfers to third parties, which is why we can categorically affirm that the information and images that have been disclosed are false.”

The bank said  that it “maintains the highest standards of compliance and transactional monitoring” and that it values ​​”the reputation of the bank as one of our main assets and therefore we address these issues with great diligence.”

Meanwhile, Kailí’s lawyer in Greece, Mijalis Dimitrakópulos, has from the outset questioned the authenticity of the bank documents in question, arguing that they are “manifestly and obviously forgeries.”

Kailí and Giorgi are currently in pretrial detention in Brussels and a Belgian judge has charged both with the crimes of alleged participation in a criminal organization, money laundering, and corruption in the framework of the investigations into the bribery plot in the European Parliament allegedly linked to Qatar and Morocco.

On December 12, Vurliotis ordered the seizure of all the assets of Kailí and her relatives in Greece.