Brussels/Luxembourg, 18/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission and the Court of Auditors Have made public, this Thursday, the document relating to the Fléchard case. It concerns observations by the Court of Auditors and the Commission's answer to this case concerning butter exports, destined to the USSR, which in reality arrived in Poland. This was a fraud, as the exporters abusively benefited from the higher "export restitution's" applied to sales in Russia. The controversy relates to the penalty inflicted on the exporting company. In principal, the ruling of the two institutions on this issue should have remained confidential, as it concerned an exchange of letters between two Presidents, brought to the attention of the Presidents of the Parliament and Council. However due to press articles "that do not correctly reflect the contents of the letter", the Court of Auditors decided to publish it. The Commission spokesperson asserted that it was, from the beginning, favourable towards its publication. Certain press articles where brought into question the present European Commissioner Pascal Lamy, who was at the time the chef de cabinet of president Delors.
The texts are published on the Commission and Court of Auditors Internet sites. EUROPE will return to the origins of the case.