What changed

A. whereaswhereas, on 27 February 2025, the Belgian Federal Prosecutor issued a request for the waiver of the immunity of Alessandra Moretti, a Member of the European Parliament elected in Italy, in connection with criminal proceedings to be instituted again her;

B. whereas an ongoing investigation in the context of the so-called Qatar-gate affair has allegedly revealed the existence of a criminal organisation within the Union institutions, in particular at the European Parliament, whosethe purpose of which was to bribe Members with the aim of influencing Parliament’s decision-making process in favour of the geopolitical interests of certain third countries;

C. whereas that investigation would appear to show that a number of specific advantages were allegedly offered, accepted and even requested by Alessandra Moretti; whereas, according to information provided by the Belgian Federal Prosecutor, a range of different types of evidence was allegedly collected from the co-accused and other suspects under judicial investigation concerning a number of specific advantages which Alessandra Moretti allegedly sought and/or obtained; whereas that evidence was allegedly corroborated by the multiple findings of the police services; whereaswhereas, in exchange for those specific advantages, Alessandra Moretti allegedly attended events or meetings where she spoke in favour of Qatar after having, allegedly, not only passively received instructions but actively sought advice as to what actions to take and what to say in her speeches, and where and when; whereas she allegedly also proactively contacted other Members, offering to replace them during certain votes relating to Qatar;

D. whereas Alessandra Moretti is thus suspected of having allegedly committed, between 1 July 2019 and 10 December 2022, unlawful acts which may be classified under Belgian law as participation in the activity of a criminal organisation and as passive bribery, criminal offences underunder, respectively, Articles 324a324bis and 324b324ter and under Articles 246 to 250 of the Belgian Criminal Code respectively;Code;

I. whereas Article 9, first paragraph, point (b), of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union provides thatthat, Membersduring the sessions of the European ParliamentParliament, its Members are to enjoy, in the territory of any Member State other than their own, immunity from any measure of detention and from legal proceedings;

K. whereas, according to the request,request for the waiver of the immunity of Alessandra Moretti, an in-depth, complex and time-consuming judicial investigation was carried out involving, inter alia, a large number of people and investigative duties carried out beyond Belgium, including outside of the Union, and a considerable amount of computer equipment was seized and its content analysed; whereas the ongoing investigation has concerned several individuals, including Members of the European Parliament, not merelyonly Alessandra Moretti; whereas it therefore appears that the request for the waiver of the immunity of Alessandra Moretti is not rooted in an attempt to harm her political activity but is, rather, a result of the above-mentioned in-depth and complex judicial investigation;