Brussels, 21/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - An OLAF press release indicates that Franz-Hermann Brüner, the Director General of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has at the request of the Italian Minister of Justice Castelli provided "detailed information on the issue of taking of function of three Italian magistrates selected for posts in OLAF". Mr Brüner said he was willing to meet Castelli and hoped "this meeting can serve to clear up any misunderstanding. On 30 January, the Italian Chamber of deputies called on the Italian government not to allow the taking up of functions of three Italian magistrates, citing untransparent OLAF recruitment procedures. Mr Brüner categorically denied this allegation and, as he had already done in November 2001, he again hoped that OLAF would soon be able to welcome Messrs Perduca and Vaudano and "continue to make use of the services of Mr Piacente (who came to the office last June directly from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia)" (see EUROPE of 23 November, p.11). Mr Brüner said that they had "succeeded in complex selection procedures, carried out in complete conformity with the applicable European Union rules and that all other Member States have authorised the engagement of all other magistrates selected by the office".