On Thursday, two of the main defendants in the investigation into corruption in the scandal known as "Qatargate", namely the former Belgian European MP Marc Tarabella and the former Italian European MP Pierre Antonio Panziri , were released after being equipped with an electronic bracelet.

Likewise, the former Vice-President of the European Parliament, Eva Kayley, who is still in prison in the framework of this case, will be subject to electronic monitoring in the coming days, after the Belgian judiciary issued a decision to this effect on Wednesday.

Pierre Antonio Panzeri was released from Saint-Gilles prison in Brussels on Thursday morning, an AFP photographer reported.

The 67-year-old former Socialist MP, who in 2019 became president of the NGO Fight Impunity, was arrested in Brussels on December 9, the day that saw a wave of searches and arrests in connection with the scandal.

On that day, Belgian investigators seized 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of Panziri and Kylie, as well as in a bag that was carried by the latter's father.

Panziri, who was accused of corruption, agreed to cooperate with the Belgian judiciary and admit that he ran a "criminal organization, linked to Qatar and Morocco", two countries that used his services to defend their interests in the European Parliament.

"He's obviously happy to move out of prison to his apartment, but he's still under arrest," his lawyer, Laurent Kennis, told AFP, as the electronic bracelet is a form of pre-trial detention.

The lawyer asked for arrangements to allow his client to go out "from time to time, every day if possible, to get some fresh air".

"This is necessary for mental health," he stressed, noting that Pierre Antonio Panziri had begun to recover from a "depressive phase."

Likewise, the European Socialist MP, Marc Tarabella (59 years), was released Thursday from prison and placed under electronic surveillance.

He was imprisoned in Marche-en-Famenne, in southeastern Belgium, after being accused of corruption on February 11.

"I have not committed any wrongdoing and of course I remain entirely at the disposal of the investigators if they have any further questions," the Belgian MP said, according to a text sent to the European Parliament by one of his aides.

"I feel relieved to be able to reunite with my family. This period has been a real ordeal," he added.