EU court dismisses Eva Kaili’s appeal on parliamentary immunity lifting

Brussels – For Eva Kaili, the MEP hit by the Qatargate scandal, the lifting of parliamentary immunity remains. The EU Court rejected the appeal filed by Kaili herself because the acts in question “are not appealable,” and therefore the request to return to the full rights granted to members of the European Parliament is “inadmissible in its entirety.”

The Luxembourg judges recall that the request for lifting of immunity is “preliminary and necessary” to ensure the effectiveness of investigations when the immunity enjoyed by a person constitutes an obstruction of the investigation concerning her.” It thus serves to ensure that justice can take its course. However, once decreed, it does not entail a ban on continuing to perform duties, and thus the revocation of the right not to proceed “cannot impact rights or obligations.”

In Kaili’s case, however, the EU Tribunal’s ruling does not change the possibility for her to continue sitting in the institution. Since there are no formal charges or final judgments, she can continue to perform her duties. Now Kaili and her lawyers have 70 days for the possible appeal to the Court.

The decision to lift Eva Kaili’s immunity dates back to Dec. 15, 2022, when following an investigation into the management of parliamentary allowances the chief prosecutor of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Laura Kövesi, asked the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, to intervene.