Broadcasting, buying votes and threat to investing: Qatar complicates in Europe

In fact, Qatar’s practices, which, according to a series of cases in the past, are not using bribery to achieve its goals, in recent days, headlines also rise in Europe. After the “Qatar Gate” affair, in which it became clear that a series of senior members in the European Parliament from around the continent received millions of dollars, some in cash luggage, in exchange for the “whiten” of survivor of foreign workers in the World Cup in the country, in Europe, in Europe, but demand that the authorities be exposed The investigations on the subject.

A group of European airlines, including Lufthansa and Air France, have recently sent a letter to the European Commission in Brussels, in which they immediately demand to suspend the open heaven agreement that has previously signed between the Union and Qatar. The agreement, which was a catalyst goal for many years of negotiations, allowed the Airlines of the Emirate, Qatar Airways, to operate freely in Europe starting at 2021 and offer flights from every European destination. The company has previously been charged with its unwanted competitors on the part of the state, which is intended to give it a competitive advantage, and in recent years has been considered the “breaking the market” in many cases, at flight prices for Asia.

The background to European companies now is publicity that the EU’s prosecution ministry, a body designed to investigate corruption offenses and a fraud that harm the organization’s economic interests, opened a criminal investigation against those who headed the European Ministry of Transportation (DG MOVE).

Henrik Hollow, originally from Estonia, is suspected of passing on the Qatarim confidential information from the negotiation rooms in which the agreement was discussed. In return, according to suspicion, the senior received luxury vacations at the expense of Qatar, gifts for himself and his family and sums of money whose scope was still estimated. The French “Liberion”, which reported, among other things, said it was “unprecedented in terms of the rank of suspects,” and that it lasted for years.

Part of the affair was exposed two years ago, so a polito website published that the senior – parallel to the CEO of a government office but at the EU level – was unlimited free flights from Qatar Airways while his people were carried and given the free sky agreement. Natua has been in the lobby of the European airlines now requires “full transparency and a binding legal investigation to check if the agreement is valid and if it should be continued.”

The lobby also blames Qatar for not providing financial information about its support for its airline, and implies that it creates an unpopular competition by a government subsidy, which is forbidden by the Union laws. Qatar pressed all the power to achieve the agreement as early as 2021, before the World Cup, which took place a year later and is intended to present a positive image to the world.

A new affair

In France, this past week, he stood a disclosure that the state’s prosecution filed an indictment against Nasser al -Halapiei, one of the senior executives of the Qia investment fund (QIA) that exploits the natural gas gas money for global investment, and those who also serve as President of the Paris Saint -Germain Football Club . Al -Kalapy was previously investigated in offenses that include corruption and fraud, police raided his home, but a supreme court disqualified them after a legal battle. Now, he reports that he is suspected of taking business decisions for bribery.

According to France, al -Halapiei agreed in 2018 to change the position of the CEO investment fund, which has a major holding of the French media company Lagardere, in a variety of business matters, in exchange for appointment of its associates to key positions. At its center is the conduct of the company’s CEO, who has been a hedonistic lifestyle at the expense of the company, used its money and also manipulated at the stock price. The investigation is in an advanced stage, and the official section is “buying votes” on the board of directors as part of business decisions.

Al -Halapiei denies the charges against him, and Qatar went on a public attack against the “witch hunt” that she said in the country against “Catar businessmen”. Sources in Tahra, who were interviewed for French media, threatened that the statements may “divert its investments” from France, and that it would also hurt Paris Saint -Germain, the flagship of French football that opened the wallet to bring large stars in recent years. Qatar holds 87% of the group. Dahta also pledged to invest about ten billion euros in France in the coming years.

Dominant gas supplier

Qatar has been in recent years as one of Europe’s largest investors by incorporating businesses with national important image, sports groups, communications groups and major companies. In Germany, for example, the CEO of the CEO of 15% of Volkswagen, about 10% of Siemens and about 8% of Davidsche Bank. In France, she holds tens of companies, including Airbus and Total.

In the United Kingdom, the CEO of its famous Department of Hods acquired it, it holds 10% of Berkelis Bank and about 20% of the Airport. The state also provides about 10% of European Monzel gas consumption, and has long -term contracts with Germany, the Netherlands and other countries. It is considered a critical supplier to Europe, which had to be weaned from a Russian gas following the Ukraine War.

The European Parliament affair, which is still slowly being investigated, proves that Europe is not in a hurry to deal with these corruption. The suspicions of bribery at the highest levels within “Qatar -Gate” have been still evident in police investigation since December 2022.

As part of the affair, members of the Sweden, Belgium and Italy, as well as the Parliament Parliament Eta Kaley of Greece, suspects who received a lot of money and good enjoyment of Qatar for public praise for the nature of the employment in the country, despite hundreds of foreign workers’ deaths in construction, and providing European “green” to the subject. Qatar denies the charges in the “Qatar Gate” affair, as well as the alleged aviation and involvement in business decisions in France. The French Trade Ministry denied that there was a threat to stop investing in the country, saying that they were ongoing according to obligations.