European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili, a key figure in ongoing efforts to regulate cryptocurrencies in Europe, has been suspended by her party. It comes in response to reports that she and others are allegedly involved in a wide-ranging corruption scandal involving illegal lobbying for Qatar.
Kaili is a Greek politician and member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, which suspended her “in response to the ongoing investigation.”
“We are appalled by the allegations of corruption in the European institutions,” the group said in a statement Friday. It also confirmed the decision to suspend its “membership in the S&D group with immediate effect.”
Kaili’s national party in Greece, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, also announced on Twitter that it would expel her. The vice president had recently indicated she would hold the pen in parliament’s efforts to clarify ambiguities in rules for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and she said she wanted to avoid the controversies of the EU’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) law by focusing on regulating activities rather than individual companies.
Kaili did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation, nor did the prosecutor’s office there.
According to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the EU lawmaker’s home was searched, and she was arrested, with the local press reporting that the prosecutor confirmed the search.
Kaili has maintained an open approach to the digital assets industry, saying Europe has made pioneering efforts to create rules for the road.