The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) dismissed its General Secretary Luca Visentini on Sunday due to his involvement in the corruption scandal in the European Parliament. Visentini has already been temporarily suspended since last December.
The ITUC said on Sunday that the executive committee had lost confidence in the Italian. The statement added that they had not found that the donations from Qatar or Morocco had affected the ITUC’s policy or program, but that “the events of the last few months have caused significant damage” to their reputation.
Visentini, who became head of the ITUC trade union confederation last November, which represents more than 200 million workers, was questioned in December as part of a Belgian investigation into possible corruption and money laundering in the criminal group and released without charge.
Even then he was temporarily suspended as ITUC General Secretary, although he strongly denied all charges and maintained his innocence.
He admitted that he received a “monetary donation” of less than 50,000 euros from the Brussels non-governmental organization Fight Impunity, which was founded by former MEP Antonio Panzeri, but he claimed that he was not asked for anything in return for the money. and that he himself did not ask for anything.
The mentioned non-governmental organization for human rights is at the center of a corruption scandal regarding the interference of Qatar and Morocco in the decisions of the European Parliament. According to European media reports, Panzeri recently reached an agreement with Belgian investigators to reveal details of the corruption scandal in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Investigators raided several addresses in connection with the affair, which broke out in early December, including homes and offices in Belgium, Italy and Greece. They also seized 1.5 million euros in cash, computers and mobile phones.
Source: Rtvslo
