On Tuesday 25 April, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) approved the mandate of an independent external investigation body to look into allegations of corruption and promotion of interests levelled at various current and former members (see EUROPE 11714 and 11712).
The body will look into the Luca Volontè case. This former head of the European People's Party (PPP) at PACE allegedly received large sums of money from Azerbaijan to influence the vote on a report on political prisoners. Other individuals have been named, including Pedro Agramunt of Spain, also an EPP member and current President of the Assembly, who has been criticised for meeting the Syrian President (see EUROPE 11773).
The investigation body, which was set up by a decision made in January by the Bureau of PACE, will comprise three members with proven abilities (ethics expert, financial auditor, fraud investigator, lawyer,…) and a thorough understanding of parliamentary procedures as well as - where possible - CoE procedures. These members will be appointed by the Bureau and approved by a vote of the Assembly.
Its remit will include making recommendations on measures needed to plug gaps in PACE's ethical framework. It will end when its final report is submitted to the Bureau by December 2017. The mandate may be extended. The greatest possible confidentiality will be required throughout the mandate. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)