Italy court weighs handover in EU Parliament corruption case

By COLLEEN BARRY and LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRESCIA, Italy (AP) — An Italian court is deciding whether to hand over a suspect in a big corruption scandal linked to the European Parliament. According to arrest warrants, Belgian prosecutors suspect the wife and daughter of a former EU lawmaker of participating in a plan to peddle influence on behalf of Qatar and Morocco. The ex-lawmaker and three other suspects were charged on Dec. 9 with corruption, participation in a criminal group and money laundering. A court in Brescia, Italy, began considering on Monday whether to hand over the man’s wife and daughter to Belgian prosecutors. They are accused of being “fully aware” of the scheme.