12/03/2008 (Agence Europe) -On Wednesday 12 March, the EP decided to remove the immunity of Austrian Hans-Peter Martin (non-attached member), who has been charged with libel in his country after falling foul of OLAF, the EU's anti-fraud office. After an OLAF investigation, he was sentenced to repay €163,000 in subsistence allowances he should have paid his assistants. He is currently being prosecuted for “trade libel” by his former tax adviser Christoph Matznetter. Martin had blamed an accounting error due to this tax adviser - who is now Secretary of State for Finance in the Austrian Government - and this drew the response from OLAF and the demand for the repayment of the sum illegally obtained. (L.C.)