WORLD NEWS | 2 Italian suspects in EU scandal released under house arrest

MILAN, Jan. 30 (AP) — The wife and daughter of a former European Parliament member at the center of a bribery scandal rocking the bloc have been released from house arrest after Belgian prosecutors revoked their arrest warrant, their defense lawyer said Monday.

Antonio Panzeri’s wife Maria Dolores Colleoni and daughter Silvia Panzeri are under house arrest pursuant to a Belgian arrest warrant. Authorities identified Panzeri as a prime suspect in a cash-for-influence scandal linked to alleged power peddling in Qatar and Morocco.

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Meanwhile, Panzeri has agreed to become an informant in exchange for a lighter sentence, promising to provide names and details of financial arrangements with other countries.

An Italian court in Brescia ruled that the mother and daughter could be handed over to Belgian authorities for questioning. But before that, Belgian authorities withdrew the arrest warrant.

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Colleoni and her daughter will appear alone in Belgium to answer questions from the judge, their lawyer, Angelo Giovanni De Riso, told The Associated Press. No date has been set.

The wife and daughter were named in the case after 17,000 euros ($18,075) were seized from their home in the province of Bergamo, northeast of Milan. Police also seized computers, mobile phones, watches and documents. Both have maintained their innocence.

The family’s accountant has also been placed under house arrest in the case, according to a Belgian arrest warrant. A court in Milan is due to decide on Tuesday whether she should be handed over to Belgian authorities.

The corruption scandal has hit the Socialists and Democrats, the second-largest center-left political bloc in the EU parliament. A prominent member, former European Parliament vice-president Eva Kaili, was removed from office after being arrested in early December on charges of corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization, among other charges.

Belgian prosecutors suspect Kaili and Panzeri; Kaili’s partner and Panzeri’s friend and former protégé Francesco Georgi; director of charity No Justice No Peace Niccolo Figa-Talamanca Accepted payments from Qatar and Morocco to influence General Assembly decision-making. Both countries deny the allegations. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)