19/12/2022 (Agence Europe) – The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) said ,on Friday 16 December, that it was closely following the ‘Qatargate’ case involving MEPs in suspected corruption. It also states, although the cases are not linked, that it completed an investigation on 23 November 2022 into “suspicions of fraud in the management of the parliamentary allowance for accredited parliamentary assistants” in the European Parliament. Financial and disciplinary recommendations have been sent to the European Parliament in this regard. OLAF also intends to issue an administrative recommendation to the European Parliament. Any possible follow-up to OLAF’s recommendations is a prerogative of the competent authorities, in this case the European Parliament. OLAF explains that it is not in a position to comment on possible investigations concerning persons mentioned in press articles “in order to ensure legal confidentiality requirements of any possible investigation or subsequent administrative or judicial follow-up”. (LC)