A Tangled Web Of Intrigue & Corruption In The European Parliament

Previously, EU Today has revealed many connections within the criminal syndicate from Kazakhstan, which is apparently headed by fugitive oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, and key figures in last year’s “Qatargate” scandal in the European Parliament.

In particular, links were found between two “fake” NGOs operating in the European Parliament, acting in support of two apparently unrelated criminal enterprises that should have, but apparently did not, caused alarm in the European Institution.

One of them featured the aforementioned fugitive from Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Ablyazov, and the other no less than the former vice-president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili.

Ms. Kaili’s activities, which were allegedly related to her receiving, directly or indirectly, money from Qatar in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup – the “Qatargate” scandal – led to her arrest on Friday December 9th, 2022, and her subsequent imprisonment in a Belgian prison cell.

All this has been well documented in the European press.

She was subsequently released from prison, and in May 2023 it became known that she would not be required to wear an electronic tag.

At this stage, it should be emphasised that Ms. Kaili is still awaiting trial, and it is not the prerogative of the press to prejudge her guilt or otherwise.

Enter Mukhtar Ablyazov.

Mr. Ablyazov, whom the British press dubbed “the world’s richest fraudster,” is rumored to have embezzled about $ 7.6 billion from the Kazakh BTA bank, of which he was the head.

Judgments in the amount of $ 4.9 billion were issued against Ablyazov in the UK, as well as an outstanding two-year prison sentence.

He is also wanted in Russia and Ukraine.

In Kazakhstan, several court decisions have been made against him, including for the murder of his predecessor in the BTA Bank.

Ablyazov was supported in his attempts to put his dossier in order by the Polish human rights non-governmental organisation (NGO) now based in Brussels: the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF), which protests his innocence in EU institutions.

“Thick as thieves”

Interestingly, many, if not most of, ODF’s clients are wanted in various parts of the world in connection with crimes not too different from those of Ablyazov himself.

For example, Viktor Khrapunov, the former mayor of Almaty, together with Ablyazov was involved in civil court cases in New York and California, where they invested in real estate and business in the United States using stolen money.

Khrapunov and his wife have both previously been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in absentia on corruption charges.

Khrapunov is also defended by the ODF.

Khrapunov’s son, Ilyas, by a happy coincidence, is married to Mukhtar Ablyazov’s daughter Madina, and has also been the subject of numerous investigations into fraud, corruption and organised crime.

Khrapunov Jr., is also defended by the ODF.

Other members of what can be considered members of Ablyazov’s “crime syndicate” also appear in ODF’s statements of innocence. 

Life seems to be full of such coincidences.

But what does all this have to do with Qatargate?

Open Dialogue Foundation managed to convince a number of lawmakers in the European Parliament of the alleged innocence of Mr. Ablyazov.

This seems to be a good business model, and the fact that one of ODF’s directors, Bartosz Kramek, has himself been accused of money laundering in two countries – Poland and the UK – may seem to suggest more than a passing acquaintance with the art of this particular type of fraud.

It seems that this is not too important for the authorities of the European Parliament, who allowed the ODF continued access to the walls of their institution.

An official statement on the activities of Bartosz Kramek.

“The court agreed with the arguments of the prosecution that it is very likely that Bartosz Kramek really committed the crimes of which he is accused.

“In addition, the court confirmed the prosecutor’s position expressed in the request for temporary arrest of the fear that the suspect – while he is at large – may obstruct justice by influencing physical evidence.

“Moreover, the court argued that the suspect may try to hide and not appear at the prosecutor’s summons,” a representative of the regional prosecutor’s office in Lublin said in an interview with the Polish newspaper Wyborcza (as reported by ODF).

Mr. Kramek, by the way, is the husband of the president of ODF, Lyudmila Kozlovskaya.

One of the EU parliamentarians who fell into the orbit of influence of Ablyazov and ODF was the then Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, a lawyer by profession.

Ablyazov himself denies any connection with Panzeri, although a photo of him and Lyudmila Kozlovskaya with Panzeri seems to indicate the opposite.

This photo was taken in May 2019, when Panzeri hosted Ablyazov and Ms. Kozlovskaya at the Strasbourg headquarters of the European Parliament.

Another indisputable fact: Kazakh lawyer Botagoz Jardemali, who took refuge in Brussels, who was closely associated with Ablyazov at the time of his embezzlement (we emphasise, however, that she was never convicted or even charged in this context), recently became an official ODF lobbyist in the European Parliament. 

However, back in 2019, Ms. Jardemali took part in the “hearings” organised by Panzeri in the European Parliament on human rights in a place of honour. It is clear that this particular world is small…

However, back in 2019, Ms. Jardemali took part in “hearings” organised by Panzeri in the European Parliament on human right. It is clear that the world is small…

The closeness between Panzeri, ODF and Ablyazov was reportedly disclosed to Judge Michel Klez on December 13th, 2022 in an email sent by a good expert on the case.

No reaction.

The European judge probably had too many cases to deal with.

In January 2023, The Spectator, in an article “How oligarchs use Brussels to launder their reputation,” suggested that Ablyazov was indeed a client of Panzeri.

Learning the game.

Given the success of the fake NGO human rights model introduced into the European Parliament by Ablyazov, Panzeri appears to have taken inspiration for his own future outside the European Parliament.

His name was associated with two public organisations based in Brussels, The Fight against Impunity and No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ).

Panzeri’s name is also associated with Karim Massimov, the former head of Kazakh intelligence, who was sentenced to long-term imprisonment in his homeland for high treason, attempted coup and abuse of power.

Panzeri’s NGO “Fight against Impunity” called for the release from prison of Massimov, who reportedly also enjoyed the support of another of the former parliamentarian’s NGOs “There is no peace without justice.”

(Massimov has also been defended by ODF)

Both NGOs were registered in the same building in Brussels.

Niccolò Figà-Talamanca, the secretary general of No Peace Without Justice, was arrested in connection with the Qatargate investigation and subsequently released with an electronic tag.

In addition, Panzeri gave strong support to Masimov in the European Parliament.

This is Maria Arena… 

In November 2022, the home of Maria Arena MEP, who replaced Panzeri as head of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) in the European Parliament, was searched in July as part of the European Parliament “Qatargate” bribery scandal.

She was reportedly questioned by investigators Friday 9th February, according to her lawyer.

“She responded in length to all the questions put to her, explaining her work in the European Parliament, her commitments and achievements for human rights,” the lawyer said.

One of the six searches in July at her home, and among her entourage, led to the discovery of €280,000 in cash at the home of her son, who lives next door, according to a source close to the case.

But the cash “has nothing to do with Qatargate”, she said in an interview with Belgian dailies Le Soir and La Libre Belgique. “I have nothing to do with the affair”, the 57-year-old said.

It is quite possible that Ms. Arena was strongly influenced by Pier Antonio Panzeri.

Here it is useful to recall that in the arrest warrant related to Qatargate, Judge Michel Klez described Maria Arena as belonging one of the “four acting on the instructions of P. Panzeri.” 

In short, this story is a real bag of knots, into which the Belgian justice system, for unknown reasons, appears reluctant to delve too deeply.

As for the dwindling number of Members of the European Parliament who continue to publicly support ODF, we ask questions about their motives.

Could they be financial, or are there skeletons kept in parliamentary cupboards?

Just asking.

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Read also: “Evidence of collusion”: report names 18 MEPs & former MEPs “connected” with activities supporting convicted fraudster Mukhtar Ablyazov

“When the police raided the home of the former socialist MEP and lawyer Pier Antonio Panzeri and found €500,000 in cash as part of the most serious corruption case in the European Parliament in decades, nobody noticed one of his clients was an oligarch who is the subject of the biggest civil fraud case in British legal history.” The Spectator, 14th January 2023.

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