Kaili was arrested last week during a series of Belgian police raids on European politicians' homes and offices around Brussels and has been charged with corruption and money-laundering.

On Thursday, a Greek judicial source said Athens prosecutors had also opened a preliminary inquiry in parallel with the Belgian case, which has sent shockwaves through the European Parliament.

And in the latest blow, the European chief prosecutor asked the parliament to strip Kaili of her immunity from prosecution so that she can be investigated for a separate alleged misuse of funds assigned to MEPs to pay assistants.

The Qatar government has rejected any claims of wrongdoing as "gravely misinformed". 

These new damaging developments came as the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, vowed to adopt "a wide-ranging reform package" to clean up the legislature.

Metsola said the plan would strengthen the parliament's whistle-blower protection systems, ban all "unofficial friendship groups" with foreign governments and review how to enforce its own rules.

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