Belgian authorities have arrested 34-year-old Ugo Lemaire, son of former socialist MEP and Qatargate suspect Marie Arena, on charges of international drug trafficking. While his case isn’t directly tied to the massive corruption scandal, Lemaire likely wouldn’t have been caught if not for the investigation into his mother’s alleged misconduct.
Lemaire’s Brussels home was first raided in July 2023 as part of the probe into Arena. During the search, authorities seized nearly €300,000 in cash, multiple GPS trackers, electronics, and three vehicles registered in Belgium, Spain, and Bulgaria. It has since emerged that he used these cars to smuggle marijuana between countries.
The Qatargate Fallout
The Qatargate scandal erupted in late 2022 when Belgian police raided 20 locations across Brussels, uncovering €1.5 million in cash and arresting several high-profile politicians. Among those implicated were MEP Eva Kaili and former MEP Antonio Panzeri, both accused of accepting bribes from Qatari officials to sway EU Parliament decisions in the Gulf state’s favor.
Since then, the list of suspects has grown to around 15, with three more arrests last month. Arena, a key figure in the scandal, was charged for allegedly collecting and distributing Qatari bribes among members of what authorities described as a “criminal organization.”
A Web of Conflicts
Arena’s connections to her son’s business dealings had already raised eyebrows long before she was linked to Qatargate. Lemaire co-founded BRC&Co, a company specializing in CBD products—a legal but highly regulated cannabis extract.
In June 2023, just a month before Arena herself became a target of the corruption probe, she organized a pro-cannabis event at the EU Parliament. While she insisted the gathering focused on medical marijuana, leaked internal emails showed her lobbying for broader legalization of all cannabis products.
“Currently, the levels of CBD and THC allowed in cannabis products vary widely across Europe,” Arena wrote in a letter to fellow MEPs. “Standardizing legislation would help address other connected issues.”
Then, in a bizarre twist, it was revealed that Lemaire’s business partner at BRC&Co was none other than the son of Michel Claise, the lead judge overseeing the Qatargate investigation. This revelation led to Claise’s resignation from the case, which in turn paved the way for further raids—including the one that exposed Lemaire’s drug trafficking operation.
