Whistleblower ‘gagged’ by Commission personnel chief

Date: 05/12/02

By David Cronin

MEPS have reacted with fury to a bid by the European Commission to gag whistleblower Marta Andreasen from giving them evidence.

The Commission's former accounting officer briefly addressed a meeting organised by a cross-party group of deputies yesterday (4 December), but claimed she was being prevented from holding a detailed discussion.

The event was billed as 'the forbidden hearing' as the European Parliament's conference of presidents - leaders of political groups - had rejected a call for Andreasen to appear before its budget control committee. On Tuesday, she received an email from Horst Reichebach, head of the Commission's personnel directorate, advising her not to refer to the executive's bookkeeping system, which she has previously dubbed 'vulnerable to fraud'.

'It must also be clear your participation may be liable to prejudice the interests of the Communities. Consequently, it might damage your current situation as a civil servant of the Commission,' he added.

German MEP Gabriele Stauner said: 'It is quite unlikely that the Commission will solve its problems with fraud by muzzling critical employees.' Tom Cranfield, head of the Commission's publications office, is currently finalising a report on Andreasen, who was removed from her post in May.

MEPs have reacted with fury to a bid by the European Commission to gag whistleblower Marta Andreasen from giving them evidence.