European Public Prosecutor’s Office says budget move means it may no longer be able to focus on its investigative operations.
Top European prosecutors — who are investigating allegations of criminal wrongdoing in connection with vaccine negotiations between Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer — are now threatening the European Commission with legal action.
On April 9, Laura Codruța Kövesi, who heads the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) — tasked with investigating serious financial crimes affecting the EU’s interests — took the unusual step of launching a so-called “amicable settlement procedure” with the Commission. This is the last legal step before litigation and if no agreement can be found, the fight could go as high as the EU’s General Court.
The prosecutors fear they will be unable to do their job properly if the Commission goes through with a plan to squeeze its budget — a move that was announced in February and came as a surprise, EPPO claims.
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Weird. Doesn’t the EPPO work for the EC?
If you file a lawsuit, that means that some entity isn’t acting according to the law. So maybe there’s some kind of EP-passed law that imposes a mandate on the EPPO? But then why woudn’t the EP be taking up the issue, rather than the EPPO?
reads through article
Oh, and it’s just like 5 million euros a year in IT funds. Huh.
reads
Ah. At the end it says that the EPPO started investigating how von der Leyen’s office had been handling funds associated with COVID-19 vaccine deals.
Well, the EU chose LCK to head the EPPO when she had a reputation for fighting even her bosses if she thought that they were involved in corruption – she got in plenty of hot water with the Romanian government over that – and I suppose that she’s pretty much sticking to character.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
On April 9, Laura Codruța Kövesi, who heads the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) — tasked with investigating serious financial crimes affecting the EU’s interests — took the unusual step of launching a so-called “amicable settlement procedure” with the Commission.
The prosecutors fear they will be unable to do their job properly if the Commission goes through with a plan to squeeze its budget — a move that was announced in February and came as a surprise, EPPO claims.
In it, the EPPO chief alleges that the Commission is depriving it of the means to carry out its work effectively by putting pressure on its budget, notably on the amount spent on IT.
“The unilateral decision … to terminate, on 31 December 2024, the provision of the mentioned services to the EPPO risks that the Union’s independent prosecution office will be in the impossibility to carry out its tasks and achieve its mission,” Kövesi wrote, adding that “it is incumbent on the Commission to abstain from any measure that could jeopardize the attainment of the Treaty objective entrusted to EPPO in combating crimes affecting the financial interests of the Union.”
“In its reply, the Commission has expressed willingness to continue to support the IT services of EPPO for the foreseeable future under specific conditions.
Through an open letter sent to MEPs and public remarks at the European Parliament, Kövesi has for weeks been asking the Commission to reevaluate its decision to cut a substantial part of the support it provides to the Luxembourg-based EPPO team, who have recently taken over a case looking into von der Leyen’s handling of Covid vaccine deals.
The original article contains 690 words, the summary contains 272 words. Saved 61%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Ah yes, corrupt pigs protecting their friends, who knew, big surprise.
