European Parliament VP Sought World Cup Favors for President Before Corruption Arrest
• Eva Kaili, vice president of the European Parliament, tried to get World Cup invites from Qatar for European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and others in November 2022.
• This was shortly before Kaili was arrested in December 2022 for alleged corruption in exchanging favors for Qatar and other countries.
• Kaili claims she was engaging in "parliamentary diplomacy" to build EU-Qatar relations and denies wrongdoing.
• Securing a visa-free EU travel deal was a top priority for Qatar; a committee approved it in December but a final vote is on hold due to the scandal.
• Metsola's office says she did not accept any World Cup invites or travel to Qatar due to human rights concerns.