Qatargate, Moretti: ‘A slap in the face for democracy, a defeat for the European Parliament’

Milan, 17 December (LaPresse) – ‘I didn’t expect anything different, even though I hoped that in the end the merits of the case would prevail over political considerations’. This was the comment made by PD MEP Alessandra Moretti in an interview with Corriere della Sera, regarding the revocation of her parliamentary immunity voted by the European Parliament plenary. “The loser is the Parliament, not me, because parliamentary immunity does not exist to defend MEPs personally, but to protect the autonomy and independence of the institution. This vote is a slap in the face for democracy because no consideration was given to the fact that, by producing documents, I very clearly and precisely dismantled both the unfounded accusations and the fact that the Federal Prosecutor’s Office had overstepped its parliamentary prerogatives by judging my votes and statements, which, incidentally, were always in line with the S&D group. This is an overreach that effectively undermines the role that Parliament should play and the freedom of expression that should be guaranteed to parliamentarians,‘ Moretti said. After the vote, she said she felt ’disappointment but at the same time liberation‘. ’I have nothing to hide, I have always declared myself ready to answer any questions the judiciary may ask me, in which I continue to have confidence,” she concluded.