European Parliament investigations
Dear European Anti-Fraud Office,
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting documents which contain the following information:
Please provide case files for all investigations carried out by OLAF in 2015, where the institution equals European Parliament.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Harris
57 Quai Rambaud
69002 - Lyon,France
Dear Mr Harris,
We hereby acknowledge receipt of your application for access to documents,
which was registered on 20/01/2016 under reference number THOR(2016)1931.
In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, your application
will be handled within 15 working days. The time limit will expire on
10/02/2016. In case this time limit needs to be extended, you will be
informed in due course.
You have lodged your application via the AsktheEU.org website. Please note
that this is a private website which has no link with any institution of
the European Union. Therefore the European Commission cannot be held
accountable for any technical issues or problems linked to the use of this
system.
Yours faithfully,
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EUROPEAN ANTI-FRAUD OFFICE (OLAF)
Directorate C: Investigation Support
Unit C.4 – Legal Advice
Rue Joseph II, 30 • B-1000 Brussels (Belgium)
http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud
Our policy regarding personal data protection can be viewed on http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/about-us/...
Dear Mr Harris,
Please find herewith a letter from the Director of Directorate A, Ms
Kneuer for your information.
The original follows by regular mail.
Best regards,
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EUROPEAN ANTI-FRAUD OFFICE (OLAF)
Directorate C: Investigation Support
Unit C.4 – Legal Advice
Rue Joseph II, 30 • B-1000 Brussels (Belgium)
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud
Our policy regarding personal data protection can be viewed on
[2]http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/about-us/...
References
Visible links
1. http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud
2. http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/about-us/...
Dear European Anti-Fraud Office,
Thank you for your response.
The reply indicates that there is not sufficient public interest to warrant releasing details of OLAF investigations involving the European Parliament. Can I clarify I am interested in details of investigations involving MEPs. These are the only democratically elected personnel in Europe's institutions, which are often criticised over their lack of democratic accountability. I cannot think of any other group within the Brussels machinery that is less deserving of scrutiny than MEPs. They are elected and paid for by the people of Europe. Surely that is a strong enough public interest?
You also mention the fear that by disclosing evidence submitted to OLAF investigations, you put in peril any future probes, as people will be less willing to come forward. I take your point. Please can I therefore clarify my request further, to ask for just headline info of completed investigations: eg. the name of the MEP invetigated, the reason and the outcome? This would allay a lot of your fears, I believe.
Kind regards,
Chris Harris
Yours faithfully,
Chris Harris
Dear Mr Harris,
We refer to your communication dated April 23rd 2016 in which you
requested a
review of the position taken by OLAF on February 9th 2016 with regard to
your
request for access to case files for all investigations carried out by
OLAF in
2015, where the institution equals the European Parliament. You clarify
that
you are interested in details of investigations concerning MEPs alleging
that
there is a public interest in disclosure of such information. You clarify
further that you are interested in the disclosure of the name of the MEP
investigated, the reason and the outcome.
Please note that in accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation 1049/2001,
confirmatory applications requesting OLAF to review its position need to
be
submitted within 15 working days upon receipt of OLAF's initial reply. In
the
present request, OLAF's reply was sent to you and posted on the
asktheeu.eu
website on February 9th 2016 and the paper version was received by you on
February 16th 2016 (as per the AR). We regret, therefore, to inform you
that
we will not further deal with your confirmatory application, since it was
submitted outside the applicable deadline of 15 working days provided by
Regulation 1049/2001.
The scope of your communication from April 23rd 2016 is part of the scope
of
the initial request you sent on January 19th, 2016. Concerning the
clarifications you make in your communication, we refer you to the grounds
mentioned in our reply to your initial application sent to you on 9
February
2016.
Best regards,
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EUROPEAN ANTI-FRAUD OFFICE (OLAF)
Unit C.4 Legal Advice
Rue Joseph II, 30 • B-1000 Brussels (Belgium)
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud
References
Visible links
1. http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud