Latvian TV3 programme Nekā personīga offers an in-depth look at the recent corruption scandal that took place in the European Parliament (EP) last year. Political advisor from Latvia Eldars Mamedovs is involved in it. It turns out that Latvian MEP Andris Ameriks visited both Azerbaijan and contested Nagorno-Karabakh territory on his own last year.
During the investigation of the situation, Belgian police confiscated one and a half million euros in cash. Evidence was found that the government of Qatar and Morocco had paid EP officials to influence European institutions in favour of these two countries. The leader of the group has admitted guild and voiced readiness to name all bribed officials.
Mamedovs is involved in the scandal. He is currently suspended and refrains from commenting on his involvement and the investigation. Previously the Latvian advisor did invite European Union’s Social Democrats Group to be more lenient towards Qatar and Russia.
Before last year’s World Soccer Championship he criticised Qatar quite a lot. Video footage was leaked, showing that
the stadiums used in the championship were built by guest workers, who worked in slavery-like conditions.
Many died at the construction sites due to inhumane conditions. Qatar’s image then required some serious polishing, and the EP had to make up its mind in favour of this Persian Gulf country. The parliament had multiple important topics on the table, including a visa-free regime between the EU and Qatar.
Operation Mezzo or the biggest scandal in EP’s history took place less than a year ago. Secret services found EUR 400 000 hidden in the house of now ex-EP member state Pier Antonio Panceri in Brussels. Investigators found another EUR 400 000 in his home safe.
German Der Spiegel acquired materials of the case. Information therein allows for a restoration of multiple meetings held at Sofitel Place Jourdan five-star hotel. There representatives of the Qatar government met with Panceri. He helped them prepare the speech that was read at a meeting of EP Human Rights sub-committee in November 2022.
EP Vice-President Eva Kaili’s husband Francesco Giorgi also met with representatives in Qatar. MEPs were asked to convince the parliament that Qatar has implemented major reforms. Kaili, too, publicly defended Qatar, criticising her colleagues of «hypocrisy».
Bribery of MEPs became publicly known at the end of December 2022.
After finding out about searches and the arrest of Panceri, Kaili attempted to hide evidence. However, law enforcers found a briefcase filled with cash hidden in her child’s carriage. MEPs have since voted Kaili out office, as MEPs immunity becomes null and void in the face of evidence.
Latvian MEP Roberts Zīle told the programme the following on this topic: «Currently, while the investigation continues, and it is unclear what we can do to improve transparency, I believe people should refrain from visiting these countries.
Looking back, these two may not be the only countries [involved in bribery]. We can look to Central Asian countries [Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan], and Russia, without a doubt. It is possible such precedents took place in EU groups in the past as well.
I consider this as very significant damage caused not only to individuals, but also the entire political group – Social Democrats. Perhaps even the entire parliament.»
Currently all accusations of corruption are aimed at the Social Democrats group in the EP. Investigators consider two more MEPs – Marc Tarabella and Andrea Cozzolino – as Panceri’s accomplices with which he shared bribes. MEPs will need to decide on revoking their immunity around mid-February.
At the end of December the Social Democrats group suspended its political advisor due to the corruption scandal. This was done because a significant violation had been committed in regards to the ongoing investigation. The Belgian police was informed of this immediately. The announcement did not mention the name of the dismissed official, but Nekā personīga reports it was Latvian citizen Eldars Mamedovs, who has worked in the European Parliament for more than ten years.
The Social Democrats group in the European Parliament includes two MEPs from Latvia – Nils Ušakovs and Andris Ameriks. Neither of them know why Mamedovs was dismissed.
Ušakovs: «At this time I cannot say anything bad about Eldars Mamedovs. I simply do not have any information. We haven’t really worked together in this European Parliament, because he works with foreign affairs and I work with budget-related topics. We simply do not cross each other’s paths.»
Ameriks: «I have nothing to do with Qatar. Mamedovs has worked in this group for a very long time. I don’t communicate with him at all. We have to wait for results of the investigation.»
Nekā personīga reminded Ameriks that Memedovs’ wife Natalja Sisojeva is his assistant in the European Parliament. The programme asked him: who recommended her to him?
«She has worked in the parliament for several terms, and it seemed to me that her experience could assist me. This has nothing to do with her spouse. I’ve seen him [Mamedovs] maybe once at a meeting [Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament],» said Ameriks.
MEP Zīle comments on Mamedovs: «I believe his role [in the social democrats group] may have been very significant. What the Spanish media wrote, that one of his close friends is a member in the Civil Liberties Committee that worked with the affairs related to the scandal. And its leader is López Aguilar. This is the committee in which the position of its leader is very important in setting relations with third-country representatives.»
Spanish media, the programme says, did point out Mamedovs’ close friendship with parliamentarian Juan Fernando López Aguilar, who is in charge of the parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Multiple sources in the parliament told the Spanish media that Eldars Mamedovs likely accepted the offer to go on vacation in Qatar and watch the World Soccer Championship there.
TV3 journalists asked Mamedovs if he paid for tickets. He responded by saying that he will not provide any comments about the ongoing investigation. Nekā personīga received similar responses from EP’s Social Democrats Group.
Mamedovs served as political advisor to the Foreign Affairs Committee. He was one of the people who urged the faction to be more lenient towards Qatar. He objected to the faction’s official position to support the resolution that declared Russia a state sponsoring terrorism. Multiple members of the faction did point out his position towards the regime in Iran as well.
He is a member of the once influential Mamedovs family in Latvia. His father owned Rīgas sanitārā transporta autobāze and Ceļu pārvalde. Both companies have a history of being involved in large and dubious state and municipal procurements.
Riga-born Eldars Mamedovs started his career in the Latvian banking sector as the manager of Parex Bank office in Azerbaijan. He then experienced a career leap at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For some time he served as a worker of the embassy in Spain, then – in Washington. According to unofficial information, Mamedovs was removed from the embassy in Washington for having close ties with Iran’s representatives in US. From the year 2000 onward Mamedovs was a frequent guest at Baltic Forum events organised by Harmony leader Jānis Urbanovičs.
He ran in European Parliament elections in 2014 from Harmony’s list. Ušakovs explained to Nekā personīga journalists: «Mamedovs was not a member of Harmoney, but we did cooperate rather actively. This is because he started working in the European Parliament in 2008 or 2009. He has an excellent CV – worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, embassies, the European Parliament. He found work on his own. It made sense to include Eldars Mamedovs even though he wasn’t a member of the party».
When asked if Mamedovs’ candidacy was considered for Saeima elections Ušakovs said: «Yes. If I’m not mistaken, at the time we had a new team, and a person with more than 10 years of experience working in the European Parliament seemed like a good choice. But he didn’t run as candidate then.»
In light of the scandal, EP President Roberta Metsola has plans for many measures to prevent or make similar actions difficult in the future. It is planned for prohibit MEPs from participating in lobbying activities after leaving their posts for as long as they still receive benefits. Information about the gifts MEPs receive, travel and meetings will be published on the parliament’s website on a regular basis.
Also read: Officials of the European Parliament arrested on suspicion of corruption