Visentini, who left his position on December 15 as general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC, Ituc), explained that he had received “an offer of at least 50,000 euros” from the non-governmental organization (NGO) Fight Impunity, led by his compatriot and former vice president Pier Antonio Panziri.
Panziri is considered one of the main suspects in the Qatargate corruption scandal.
Among the six people arrested in Brussels on December 9 (including Visentini, who will be released under conditions two days later) as part of the investigation by the Belgian authorities, Panzeri is one of the three suspects currently in pretrial detention, along with Former Vice-President of the European Parliament and MEP of Greece Eva Kaili.
Referring to the “offer in kind” received from Anti-Impunity, an organization fighting human rights abuse, Visentini confirmed, in a statement, that he accepted “given the quality of the donor and its non-profit nature.”
“He did not ask me for anything, and I did not ask for anything in return for money, and no condition was set for the delivery of this donation,” he stressed.
“This donation was not related to any attempt at corruption, nor to influence my union position on Qatar or any other issue, nor was it intended to interfere with the autonomy and autonomy of employees and/or the CIS,” the Italian continued. Age 53.
As he explained, part of the money was used to pay for certain expenses within the scope of his campaign to take over the leadership of CSI.
Visentini was elected in November to lead this organisation, which he says includes a federation of 338 unions around the world, in 168 countries and territories.
CSI’s general council must meet on Wednesday to decide whether to keep or remove Visentini.
Referring to Qatar, which he recently visited, the Italian stressed that his position “did not evolve over time.”
“I have always pointed out clearly that the current situation is not yet satisfactory and that more pressure is needed on Qatar and the companies in the country to ensure the standards required by the ILO. [Organização Internacional do Trabalho] In the field of protecting workers’ rights,” he continued in the same statement.
The investigation launched by the Belgian justice in the summer of 2022 concerns suspicions about large sums of money provided by Qatar to influence European politics.
Former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, in a statement on Monday to Greece’s state news agency Anna, indicated that he had received €60,000 in “compensation” from the NGO Fighting Impunity.
This Greek politician belonged to the honorary board of directors of this NGO, before he resigned on December 11 after the information was revealed.
However, the European Commission has indicated that it is investigating the behavior of the former commissioner.
The “Qatargate” scandal is shaking European institutions, and the President of the European Union, Roberta Metsola, affirmed, on Monday, that there will be “absolute tolerance for corruption” in the institution, after she promised last week, in an intervention in a room, reforms in this direction.
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