Fulvio Martusciello, an Italian politician, has been at the center of controversy recently for allegedly working for Gulf nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, in the European Union. The MEP has held many events and issued statements in support of the Saudi war in Yemen, and according to sources, he is suspected of receiving payments from the Saudis, as well as other Gulf nations such as Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His alleged links to Gulf nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, have sparked controversy, and many are calling for an investigation into the matter.
Fulvio Martusciello has also been described as an ignorant MEP with Mafia links, according to some sources. It is no secret that Gulf nations are using their oil wealth to influence European politics and further their foreign policy interests.
Martusciello’s Link to NGOs
It is no secret that Gulf nations, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are heavily funding rogue and fake NGOs to advance their foreign policy interests in Europe. In this regard, Manel Msalmi, a Tunisian activist based in Brussels, is reportedly the link between Fulvio Martusciello MEP and these Gulf-funded NGOs, which keep business coming to the MEP regularly. Manel Msalmi whose former job was hairdresser in Belgium was recruited by a Saudi diplomat in Brussels were they entered in a relationship for a few years early in 2019. The intimate relationship between the two ultimately developed into business whereby he asked Manel to establish an NGO for a Yemeni activist Wesam Basendawa, director of the March 8 Bloc for Yemeni Women.
Martusciello’s Activities and Events
Martusciello has organized several events in the European Parliament in support of the Saudi war in Yemen, and other foreign policy issues that are adopted by Saudi Arabia and its allies. In March 2022, he and Msalmi shared a panel at the European Parliament to speak about Houthi fighters’ crimes but not about the war crimes committed by Saudis in Yemen. The event was funded by the Saudi Embassy and cost €70,000. Speakers were paid €5000 each, while Martusciello pocketed €40,000. However, the MEP did not declare anything about the payment. The rate of Fulvio for such events is around €30,000 on average.
In 2020, Fulvio Martusciello and two of his peers condemned the arrest and detention of three members of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), an Arab political group.
In December 2020, Fulvio received €145,000, arranged and paid in cash via the Saudi Embassy, to launch a campaign in support of the Ahwaz Arab minority in Iran. Msalmi was seen publicizing the campaign and tweeting the activities. In October 2020, Fulvio Martusciello MEP hosted an online conference featuring Saudi, Bahraini, Emirati, and other Arab activists to support peace in the Middle East. However, the MEP never spoke of peace in hot spots across the world except in support of Israel and Saudi Arabia. The funding of this event was not from Saudi Arabia but was allocated by the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Brussels. The event cost was exclusively paid to Msalmi and Martusciello. Our sources confirm that the embassy paid more than €90,000 for online events to promote its peace plans with Israel.
Martusciello’s TV Appearance
Martusciello was also invited to speak on a Saudi-funded TV show in December 2020. As always, his PR agent, Msalmi, promoted his tweets and TV appearances. The appearance was part of the Saudi campaign against Iran in Brussels. Fulvio was also paid for this event. The MEP of the Forza party spared no chance to make money, including taking Msalmi to the Italian parliament. Fulvio was paid €50,000 to make such an event. Msalmi also earned a considerable payment of €24,000.
