European Prosecutors Launch Probe into Allegations that Senior EU Official Accepted Bribes From Qatar

European Commission advisor Henrik Hololei is the latest Western official facing legal consequences for allegedly accepting bribes from Qatar. On November 1, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced that it opened an investigation into claims that Hololei accepted tens of thousands of euros in gifts from Qatar while he was negotiating an aviation deal between the EU and the Gulf emirate in his former post as head of the commission’s transport department. The Estonian diplomat reportedly shared confidential information with state-owned Qatar Airways in exchange for complimentary flights, five-star hotel stays, and luxury shopping sprees.

Hololei’s Fall From Grace

Holelei served as director-general of the European Commission’s Mobility and Transport department when the EU and Qatar signed a 2019 “open skies” agreement, which granted Qatar Airways unfettered access to European airports. While his department negotiated the aviation deal, Hololei took multiple business class trips to Qatar on Doha’s dime and allegedly shared information with the Qataris about Europe’s negotiating position. Hololei resigned from his post as director-general in 2023 and moved into an advisory role after news broke of his paid junkets to Qatar.

European prosecutors opened their probe into Hololei’s conduct after the French newspaper Libération published an exposé accusing the European Commission of failing to refer Hololei’s case to either the EPPO or the authorities in Belgium, where the EU is headquartered. Libération claimed that a European Anti-Fraud Office report detailing Hololei’s potential misconduct has been gathering dust on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s desk since July.

Qatari Corruption Rampant in the West

Hololei resigned three months after Belgian police raided residences and offices across Brussels, arresting a half dozen EU officials and seizing more than $1.5 million in cash. It turns out that Qatar had been paying to play in Europe: Leaked documents show how Doha paid off members of the European parliament to whitewash Qatar’s image and smear the emirate’s Gulf rivals.

Former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, the once-influential chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is at the center of another Qatari corruption case. In August, a jury found Menendez guilty of accepting bribes — including gold bars, luxury watches, and Formula One racing tickets — and using his position of influence to secure a multimillion-dollar Qatari investment deal. Menendez subsequently resigned after being convicted on 16 counts that included bribery and extortion, and is now facing decades in prison.

Doha doesn’t only manipulate politicians. Qatar allegedly paid FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, more than $800 million in cash and contracts in exchange for the rights to host the 2022 World Cup. In 2020, the U.S. Justice Department asserted in a superseding indictment that FIFA executives “were offered and received bribe payments” to secure hosting privileges for Qatar.

With Qatar, Washington Should Proceed With Caution

Despite Qatar’s track record, the emirate continues to host the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and reap the benefits of its status as a major non-NATO ally of America. Meanwhile, the White House is trusting Qatar to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and compel Hamas to release the remaining hostages even as the emirate shelters the terrorist organization’s most senior leaders. The incoming administration should drop the illusion that Qatar is a good-faith ally and start holding the emirate to account. If Doha will not change course, the new administration should consider stripping it of its major non-NATO ally status and potentially relocating American military bases.

Natalie Ecanow is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.