Brussels, 26/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has received the Olaf report on allegations of false invoicing at its Representation in Stockholm, but for now refuses to reveal the content or make any comment. The European antifraud office launched an investigation in November after the Commission's Representation in Stockholm had been accused on Swedish television of having made three false invoices, for close to 648 euro.
Linda Steneberg, the Bureau's director at the time and current head of unit for the coordination of the work of the Representations, decided, in common accord with the Commission, to take a "holiday", the Commission announced at the time. Two other people in Stockholm's Bureau of Representation had been provisionally relieved of their duties. The first has since returned to the Commission, the other two have regained a job at the Representation in Stockholm, but with different duties. "By reintegrating these people into its services, the Commission took account of the principle of the presumption of innocence, as well as the duration of the investigation", the Commission's spokesperson stresses.
The Swedish courts have also received the Olaf report. The Swedish police had launched an enquiry, that the Stockholm prosecutor's office then decided to suspend while awaiting Olaf's conclusions.