Paul Magnette faces two corruption cases in one week
The leading politician of the Belgian Socialist Party has had to deal with two corruption cases involving members of his political faction in the same week: Marc Tarabella being connected with the “Qatargate” scandal and Jean-Claude Marcourt linked to corruption in the Wallonia Parliament.
After having been confronted in the past with other cases of political and financial corruption, the French-speaking socialists, led by Magnette, have once again seen their reputation tarnished by several open fronts in the same week. These cases have led to the resignation of one of their members and the expulsion from the party of another.
In connection with the Qatargate scandal, political leader Paul Magnette temporarily suspended from membership the socialist Marc Tarabella, vice-chairman of the parliamentary delegation for the Arabian Peninsula, who was arrested following a search of his flat by Belgian police, who seized computer equipment.
Tarabella has been linked to the Qatargate corruption case, which has implicated other politicians in the European Parliament. Qatargate has established itself as the biggest corruption scandal in the European Parliament and explains why several members of Magnette’s party voted against a motion to condemn human rights violations in the World Cup host country.
In addition to the temporary suspension, Paul Magnette warned that Tarabella would be expelled from the party if the corruption charge was eventually proven. The politician is currently being called to testify before the Socialist Party’s Supervisory Committee and has been expelled from the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament.
On the other hand, in the case of Jean-Claude Marcourt, he resigned as president of the parliament of the Walloon region after it was revealed that the assembly was corrupt in its finances and that president Jean-Claude Marcourt and secretary Frédéric Janssens travelled to Dubai a year ago.
Marcourt tried to defend himself by explaining that the trip to Dubai had become more expensive after a rise in first class air fares. Paul Magnette called for his resignation, as well as that of the rest of the bureau, to ensure that the credibility of the institution and the confidence of the region’s citizens in their elected officials was restored.
After these events, the mayor of Charleroi, who has been leading the PS since 2019, finds it more difficult than ever to fulfil his aim of restoring people’s trust in the party by purging it of past corruption cases, which could affect his party’s results in the next elections in 2023, and thus his political career.
