Eva Kaili: The conditions for removal of the monitoring bracelet

Following a decision by the Belgian judge, the measure of electronic surveillance of Eva Kaili is conditionally lifted. These terms came into effect on May 25th and will expire on August 25th unless extended or amended.

At noon on Thursday, the Brussels prosecutor’s office made a relevant announcement, according to which there is no longer any reason for Eva Kaili to wear an electronic bracelet, however there are other restrictive conditions.

What are the conditions for Kaili’s release?

According to the May 25 order of Judge Michel Clez, the conditions for the release of Eva Kaili – who is accused of participation in a criminal organization, corruption and money laundering – are as follows:

• equipment used for electronic surveillance be returned;
• reside in her residence and not change residence without first notifying the investigator;
• not to leave the national territory of Belgium without the prior written permission of the investigator;
• not to contact any of the persons involved in the file under investigation, including through the press;
• to answer all calls from the police or judicial authorities, including calls sent by experts they have appointed; and
• be available for monitoring by a welfare officer of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the order of the investigator Klez, these conditions are mandatory for the release of Eva Kaili. “Given the circumstances of the case, there are serious grounds for concern that if the defendant were to be released without the appropriate conditions, she would repeat her criminal behavior,” his decision states.

“We appeal to the European Parliament”

A few days earlier, Eva Kaili’s Greek advocate revealed that they will appeal to the European Parliament in order to establish whether there has been a violation of Eva Kaili’s parliamentary immunity.

“There are two forms of violation of parliamentary immunity. Through the case file, it was noticed by the Belgian colleagues as well as by me that while this incident with the suitcase had not yet taken place, she was being watched inside the Parliament of the European Parliament, this is unacceptable. There is evidence that Eva Kaili was being monitored before her immunity was lifted and this creates a huge legal issue,” Mr. Dimitrakopoulos had pointed out.

“If it is accepted by the European Parliament, the preliminary procedure is canceled and it starts from the beginning. The parliament did not know that Ms. Kaili was being monitored. One possibility is for the parliament to admit that it was watching her, and thus the process that has been done is annulled, and all investigative acts are annulled. However, we do not go with that, we have gathered a lot of evidence that deconstructs the accusations that Panzeri has brought against Eva Kaili”, added the lawyer.