EU VP on the take. "Bags of money" seized

[rodericb]

This one might be big news in your neck of the woods: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63921002

Nicely timed for International Anti-Corruption Day, some of the spicier reports noted that law enforcement officials seized "bags of cash", amongst other booty. There's speculation that Qatar is behind the whole affair. Pundits have implied that such facilitating tactics were used in securing the football world cup but FIFA gave them the all-clear.

[dukeboy749r]

rodericb said:

This one might be big news in your neck of the woods: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63921002

Nicely timed for International Anti-Corruption Day, some of the spicier reports noted that law enforcement officials seized "bags of cash", amongst other booty. There's speculation that Qatar is behind the whole affair. Pundits have implied that such facilitating tactics were used in securing the football world cup but FIFA gave them the all-clear.

Qatar is playing an odd game. Openly paying people to help create a positive spin for the football World Cup, much of which was (rightly) seen as pure hypocrisy. Now to be (seemingly) caught paying European politicians.

They were already back in with Saudi, etc, so not sure what this gains them - bar more notoriety?

[NRS]

I'm completely shocked by this.



I thought it would be on NP&E far earlier, and with far more comments.

[rodericb]

NRS said:

I'm completely shocked by this.



I thought it would be on NP&E far earlier, and with far more comments.

Same here. But then the Brexiteers would think meh, we're out of all that now and the Remainers wouldn't want to hear of their sacred institution sullied by such unpleasantness, or they aspire to doing the same (but not get caught)

[55palfers]

How big a suitcase would you need to shift 600,000 Euro in cash I wonder?

[B'stard Child]

55palfers said:

How big a suitcase would you need to shift 600,000 Euro in cash I wonder?

Probably about 1200 - They've stopped issuing the 500 Euro note but it's still legal tender - it used to be the "criminals choice" for moving capital

[anonymous-user]

rodericb said:

NRS said:

I'm completely shocked by this.



I thought it would be on NP&E far earlier, and with far more comments.

Same here. But then the Brexiteers would think meh, we're out of all that now and the Remainers wouldn't want to hear of their sacred institution sullied by such unpleasantness, or they aspire to doing the same (but not get caught)

Page 922 of the Brexit thread, posted by a Brexiteer.

[voyds9]

Bribe them - middle east
Disappear them - China
Assassinate them - Russia

Just a modern take on diplomacy

[wibble cb]

voyds9 said:

Bribe them - middle east
Disappear them - China
Assassinate them - Russia

Just a modern take on diplomacy

Except all three do all three….

[McGee_22]

EU discovers ice and declares it is proof that icebergs exist.

Next - EU wonders how big icebergs can get...

[zb]

rodericb said:

NRS said:

I'm completely shocked by this.



I thought it would be on NP&E far earlier, and with far more comments.

Same here. But then the Brexiteers would think meh, we're out of all that now and the Remainers wouldn't want to hear of their sacred institution sullied by such unpleasantness, or they aspire to doing the same (but not get caught)

It's absolutely disgusting, and shows how much better we are than those amateur Europeans.

Bags of cash? Does she not have a political party the Qataris could donate to? Expensive holidays to supplement, a mansion she could stay in gratis? Perhaps she could have, for example, set up a shell company selling bogusly fraudulent PPE that isn't fit for purpose, then cream off the obscene profits into offshore tax havens?

Shame we are no longer part of that club, they have much to learn.

[TonyToniTone]

Qatar has threatened to cut off energy supplies to Belgium and Europe in a row over a corruption scandal that has shaken the European Union.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/we-can-cut-your...

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/qatar...

Seems a tad unscrupulous

[ntiz]

dukeboy749r said:

Qatar is playing an odd game. Openly paying people to help create a positive spin for the football World Cup, much of which was (rightly) seen as pure hypocrisy. Now to be (seemingly) caught paying European politicians.

They were already back in with Saudi, etc, so not sure what this gains them - bar more notoriety?

I dont know much about it all but my most basic uneducated guess is that they seem to want Doha to be the next Dubai. They seem to have poured huge amounts of money into making it into a desirable destination.

I have been seeing huge amounts of marketing with “Visit Doha” etc to the point my wife asked me where Doha is and we should go there it looks amazing. Don’t say marketing doesn’t work!!

I assume for this long term goal to be successful they need to have a good reputation especially if they want western visitors/investment.

It is interesting how Saudi is also building their own mega city to compete with Dubai. All the gulf nations seem to be finally waking up that maybe infinite wealth isn’t going to keep coming out of the ground forever.

[rodericb]

TonyToniTone said:

Qatar has threatened to cut off energy supplies to Belgium and Europe in a row over a corruption scandal that has shaken the European Union.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/we-can-cut-your...

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/qatar...

Seems a tad unscrupulous

Unfortunately, her children are too young to hold directorships or random highly paid jobs in some Qatari company but there'd have to be a myriad of other ways to achieve the desired outcome. The pure lack of sophistication in the whole affair is intriguing - is it really idiocy or was it by design? Bags of cash to someone in the EU who would find it difficult to do anything with.