Belgian member of European Parliament charged with corruption

Marc Tarabella, a Belgian member of the European Parliament, has been charged with money laundering, corruption and membership in a criminal organization, authorities have said.

Tarabella was taken into custody after charges were levelled against him by a Belgian judge investigating alleged bribes of MEPs by Qatar, official sources confirmed to Politico and Bloomberg, according to UPI.

Police also searched a safe deposit box at Tarabella's bank and raided several offices, the outlets reported.

Earlier this month Tarabella was stripped of his immunity by a European Parliament vote, along with Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino.

Cozzolino was placed under house arrest by Italian police in Naples on Friday and attended a court hearing Saturday, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Friday's arrests are the latest in a string of recent arrests in connection to a bribery scandal which saw parliamentarians accused of taking bribes connected to Qatar.

In December, six people were arrested in Brussels in connection to the scandal. The European Parliament suspended Qatari representatives' access to the body in December.

Former co-Vice President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, and former parliamentarian Pier Antonio Panzeri have been in jail since January on charges related to the bribery scandal. Panzeri struck a deal with authorities to provide information on the scandal.