More tricky Qatargate questions are haunting Belgian socialist MEP, Marie Arena. Amid a storm of accusations whipped up by the scandal, it now seems she is the subject of a major conflict-of-interest development regarding the investigation.
According to observers, the potential problems revolve around her apparent lobbying on behalf of her son’s cannabis business.
On December 12, 2019, Arena hosted a conference on what was titled the “Cannabis Renaissance” at the European Parliament. The event was held in collaboration with the pro-cannabis non-profit organisation ACTIVE, where her son, Ugo Lemaire, was and still is president.
At the time, he had just set up a business, BRC & Co, with six friends, as a wholesaler of cannabis products and CBD. CBD is cannabis from which the psychotropic element, THC, has been removed.
To many, that appears to be in conflict with the Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament, which stipulates that MEPs should act in the general interest, rather than the personal, applying integrity, transparency, diligence, honesty and responsibility.
Reactions to the issue seem, to some, indicative of an element of culpability; ACTIVE has removed its link to the report of the event from its website. In addition, Arena deleted a tweet in which she had advertised the conference. However, Brussels Signal has retrieved both the tweet and link to the event.
ACTIVE, the Association for Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and Innovative Ventures in Europe, calls itself a trade organisation for cannabinoids and terpenes. Its goal seems to be aiding businesses promoting the sale of cannabis derivatives. Regarding cannabis, terpenes are what make certain strains smell or taste different from others.
BRC & Co sells cannabis products under the “Buddy Belgium” brand. However, web pages referring to the firm’s activities and its ‘about us‘ are currently ‘unavailable’. Alongside that, email addresses relating to ACTIVE, previously available, also appear to have been removed.
https://twitter.com/LaureneTran12/status/1202660485608460288?s=20
The controversial cannabis conference trumpeted the fact it was bringing together “unique perspectives on the rapidly evolving European cannabis landscape, from policy experts to industry leaders.” The objective of the conference, apparently, was to tackle “some of the most pressing issues facing entrepreneurs, regulators, and elected officials looking to create a safe and strong European cannabis ecosystem”.
Arena and her son have pointed out that “the word ‘cannabis’ refers to many realities, from the types of plants to the various finished products with different end-uses (medicinal vs wellness vs social purposes)”. They have said they want to bring more clarity on the specific uses of cannabis, “with the help of experts and industry leaders”.
Observers point out that such clarity would probably benefit Arena’s son’s business. On her own website, Arena also regularly promoted the use of CBD, calling for the regularisation of cannabis, within a European regulatory framework. She claims that increased legitimate production of cannabis would create opportunities for the agricultural sector.
Buddy Belgium employs around 20 people and offers its products at 6,000 points of sale. In Belgium, those are mainly found in bookshops but less so in CBD shops.
Belgian news outlet Sud Info, speaking to BRC & Co competitors, reported that other vendors of such products “now understand better why Buddy Belgium was always one step ahead of the others” and, “They always gave the impression that they knew before anyone else what legislation we were heading for.
“Having an MEP as an ally opens doors!,” they alleged.
To further muddy the waters, the company used the same accounting practice as non-profit organisations run by former MEP Antonio Panzeri, the chief witness in the Qatargate probe and a very close friend of Arena. Panzeri also allegedly offered Arena’s son free tickets to the football World Cup in Qatar.
The latest developments come following the disclosure of the BRC & Co involvement of the eldest son of Michel Claise, the main investigator of Qatargate. While that was never specifically hidden, it seems officials hadn’t noticed until one of the lawyers raised an alarm. In light of the revelation being made public, Claise recused – disqualified – himself from the case, seven months into the Qatargate probe.
As part of the investigation, the Italian MEP, Andrea Cozzolino, is under suspicion regarding the alleged pay-for-influence scandal in the European Parliament. Cozzolino is suspected of active corruption, membership of a criminal organisation and money laundering. He denies the charges.
Cozzolino on June 19 arrived in Belgium from Italy after abandoning challenges against his indictment. Upon arrival, he was questioned by the police, who put him before the investigating judge. He was later released under certain conditions.
Cozzolino’s extradition came about after Panzeri told investigators his fellow Italian had allegedly paid Belgian MEP, Marc Tarbella, large sums of cash to take favourable positions on Qatar. Tarabella was previously detained on suspicion of corruption, money laundering and gang affiliation. Tarabella also says he is innocent.
In relation to the latest Qatargate developments, Brussels Signal contacted investigators, other officials involved and Arena for comment but, at the time of publication, none was forthcoming.
