Brussels, 04/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - The EU's anti-fraud office has concluded its investigation into allegations about travel expenses paid to a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). In the report, OLAF notes that there is strong prima facie evidence that the practice of 'double reimbursement' occurred, but this was an isolated case of fraud. The financial damage to the EU budget was estimated to be less than EUR 45000 over six years. The EESC member was alleged to have obtained from the organisation to which s/he belonged travel expenses that had already been reimbursed by the EESC. In a press release, the EESC says it takes the allegations very seriously. In the conclusions of the report on the enquiry, it was stated by OLAF that the EESC's internal rules had been applied as fully and as rigorously as possible, and that the EESC had fully cooperated with the Office throughout the enquiry.
The President of the EESC, Anne-Marie Sigmund, stresses in a press release: 'It is important that due process and the rights of the individual concerned should be scrupulously respected. However, it is also of the utmost concern to me that the actions of an individual should not be detrimental to the good reputation of the Committee… I expect the person in question to take appropriate action in the best interests of the Committee and the European institutions' public image... I have ordered a full internal enquiry and will ensure that the necessary steps are taken to recover any monies that may have been misappropriated. The OLAF report makes some recommendations about ways in which the Committee could further amend its rules so as to make such alleged abuse even more difficult.'
In April 2004, the European Parliament gave smooth discharge to the EESC's implementation of its 2002 budget, thanking the EESC for transmitting to the EP details of internal measures governing the execution of its budget, and the mission statement of its internal auditor. In its resolution, the EP said it took note of the assurances given by the EESC that no irregularities had occurred in the travel expense accounts.