Business news from Ukraine

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on September 15 sharply criticized the European Parliament, calling it “a den of corrupt officials.” He made the statement in Baku during a meeting with participants of international conferences. The quote is confirmed by the official transcript on the website of the President of Azerbaijan.

Aliyev referred to the Qatargate corruption scandal, which erupted in the European Parliament at the end of 2022 and was linked to former EP Vice-President, Greek politician Eva Kaili. According to him, “suitcases containing millions of dollars were seized from the home of its vice-president,” after which, Aliyev claims, the case was allegedly “hushed up.” He also accused the European Parliament of bias against Azerbaijan and Islamophobia.

At the same time, the factual circumstances of the case differ somewhat from the wording used by the Azerbaijani president. In December 2022, Belgian investigators did indeed discover about EUR1.5 million in cash as part of Qatargate, but the money was seized in several locations: about EUR150,000 in Kaili’s apartment, around EUR750,000 in a suitcase that was with her father, and another approximately EUR600,000 in the home of another person involved in the investigation.

Kaili was arrested in December 2022, lost her position as Vice-President of the European Parliament and spent some time in custody. Therefore, Aliyev’s claim that “no measures were taken” against her does not correspond to the full chronology of the case. Kaili herself denies committing any crimes.

It is also not yet possible to say that the case was closed or officially “hushed up.” As of the end of June 2026, the Belgian Qatargate investigation was continuing and had not yet reached trial. In February 2026, the Brussels Chamber of Appeal rejected procedural objections from the main suspects and allowed the investigation to continue. At the same time, the investigation has been criticized because of its duration and a number of procedural problems.