EU lawmaker held for questioning in corruption scandal

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office says an EU lawmaker linked to a corruption scandal that rocked the bloc’s Parliament in December has been detained for questioning as police conduct further raids. The office said Friday police searched a banking safe in the city of Liege belonging to Belgian lawmaker Marc Tarabella. The European Union’s Parliament earlier this month removed Tarabella’s protective immunity to ensure he could be questioned by investigators. Tarabella has denied any links to the scandal, in which Qatari and Moroccan officials are suspected of offering bribes to influence decisions in the European Parliament. Qatar and Morocco have also vehemently denied involvement, but the assembly has suspended work on all Qatar-related files.