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ATHENS — Greek member of European Parliament Eva Kaili won’t run in the upcoming EU election, one of her lawyers said on Friday.
“Unfortunately, she will not be a candidate,” her Greek lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told Greek TV channel ANT1, adding that she hasn’t decided if she will stay in Brussels or return to Greece after her term concludes this year.
Kaili is among the main suspects in the Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal and continues to face preliminary charges of corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organization.
She could return to jail if she carries on talking about the case to the media, according to her legal team, as POLITICO revealed earlier this week.
“Eva Kaili is a politician; for a year and a half she is bombarded by defamatory news,” Dimitrakopoulos said, commenting on the decision.
“It is self-explanatory that she will defend herself — which country could ban this right? … In Brussels in the heart of Europe, they say if you defend yourself publicly, we will put you in prison.”
On Tuesday, the European Parliament lifted Kaili’s immunity, paving the way for prosecutors to investigate her involvement in an alleged €150,000 fraud case stretching back to 2015.
As POLITICO first reported last year, Kaili is alleged to have misused her official budget by orchestrating a scheme of fake jobs and kickbacks with several former assistants. If found guilty, she could face five to 15 years in prison under Greek law.
