Francesco Giorgi, the partner of European Parliament Vice President Eva Kylie, has admitted his role in the corruption scandal involving Qatar.
Reuters writes about this with reference to two sources who are directly familiar with the case.
Giorgi's admission of accepting bribes from Qatar to influence the European Parliament's decision on Qatar made a "significant contribution" to the investigation being carried out by Belgian authorities, one of the sources said.
According to the same source, Georgie, an assistant MEP, tried to exonerate his partner Kylie of any wrongdoing. Georgie is currently in custody pending further investigation.
In his confession, Giorgi also said he suspected Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella of receiving money from Qatar, a source close to the investigation said.
Tarabella, who previously confirmed his home was searched on Saturday as part of a Belgian investigation, has denied any wrongdoing.
Giorgi also stated that he suspects Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino, in whose office Giorgi worked, of receiving illegal Qatari funds.
Reuters was unable to ascertain whether Giorgi had provided any evidence of his allegations against Tarabella and Cozzolino.
Earlier, the Belgian newspaper Le Soir and the Italian newspaper La Repubblica first reported on Giorgi's confession to Belgian investigators.
It will be recalled that the head of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) Laura Koveshi demands from the European Parliament to remove the immunity of two Greek MEPs due to suspicions of fraud, including the former vice-president Eva Kaili.