In connection with the corruption scandal in the European Parliament, the Belgian judiciary has issued arrest warrants against four suspects. "You are accused of involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption," said the public prosecutor's office in Brussels on Sunday. It initially remained unclear whether the arrested parliamentary vice president Eva Kaili was one of them. No further information will be given now, it said. Two other detainees were released by the examining magistrate.

The background is one of the biggest corruption scandals in the history of the EU Parliament. It is about investigations into suspected bribery and corruption, money laundering and attempts to influence political decisions by the Emirate of Qatar, the host of the current World Cup. There were at least 16 searches on Friday and six arrests over the weekend.