Based on analysis from a consortium of some 24 European news organizations, Le Monde says on its English-language page that of 705 MEPs, 163 have been involved in some way or other in a total of 253 identified, verified judicial cases, while other incidents include allegations of harassment.

Most of these events occurred in the current parliamentary term, ie. since the last European elections in May 2019 after which the number of seats had fallen by 46, post-Brexit, and range from trying to re-sell a stolen cell-phone, to large-scale embezzlement of taxpayer funds.

One MEP, Lara Comi (Italy) was last October sentenced to over four years' prison time over the embezzlement of €500,000 of taxpayers' funds – Comi has appealed this and is still a sitting MEP.

In December 2022, MEP Eva Kalli, from Greece, was arrested and charged with corruption in relation to the "Qatar-gate" scandal. This revolves mainly around allegations of MEPs, other parliamentary officials, lobbyists and associates of these being involved in corruption, money laundering and organized crime and the interface with influencing activities by the government of Qatar, and also of Morocco and of Mauritania.

The next elections to the European Parliament take place June 6-9 (polling day in Estonia is Sunday, June 9).

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