While the Belgian investigative judge Michel Claise issued new arrest warrants in the Brussels corruption case worth hundreds of thousands of euros, the defense team of the already arrested member of the "four teeth" of left-wing representatives, the socialist member of the European Parliament Marc Tarabella, is demanding the resignation of the leading judge.
It can't be a coincidence that Tarabella's lawyer, Maxim Töller, targeted the strongest representative of the charge brought against members of the European Parliament accused of serious crimes, chief judge Michel Claise.
The latest development in the case is that the "four teeth" made up of socialist and social democratic representatives, which play a key role in the European Parliament corruption scandal that broke out last December, became known. The Belgian socialist Marc Tarabella is a member of this group, Politico reported.
After first trying to portray Tarabella as an innocent victim, Töller now changed his tactics. He argues that Michel Claise's previous arrest warrant, which he issued against Trabella, violates the presumption of his client's innocence.
In the arrest warrant, according to Töller, the senior judge claims that Tarabella's public positions were initially not in favor of Qatar, and then those positions reversed, and this happened during the period when suspicious money transfers were detected. According to Töller, these are categorical statements, says Politico.
The new lawyer of the arrested Eva Kaili, the former Socialist Vice-President of the European Parliament, Sven Mary, already stated on Thursday: "Since the exemption request has been submitted, Claise (as a judge) can no longer participate in the case for the time being".
The competent Belgian prosecutor's office has not yet responded to Töller's inquiry.
Source: Hirado.hu
Image: MTI/AP
