Andreasen sacked by Commission

By Martin Banks

Date: 14/10/04

WHISTLEBLOWER Marta Andreasen was yesterday (13 October) sacked from her job with the European Commission.

The move follows a recommendation by a disciplinary board appointed by the Commission that the executive's former accounting officer should be dismissed for breaching the staff regulations applying to the Union's civil service.

A Commission statement said that Andreasen, who had been suspended from her post for two years on full pay, had "knowingly and repeatedly acted in disregard of her obligations".

It adds: "The gravity of her conduct has constituted an irremediable breach of the trust which the Commission is entitled to expect from its officials and consequently made it impossible to maintain any employment relationship between her and the institution."

Her dismissal will take effect from 1 November and Andreasen will retain her pension rights.

She had written to MEPs and the Court of Auditors complaining that deficiencies in the Commission's bookkeeping system left the Union's budget vulnerable to fraud.

The decision to dismiss her was branded 'vindictive' by UK Conservative MEP Chris Heaton-Harris, who has championed her case.

He said: "The Commission has again persecuted another whistleblower whose only crime was to stand up and raise concerns on the EU's accounting procedures."

Following the decision of a disciplinary commission the European Commission dismissed whistleblower Marta Andreasen on 13 October 2004 from her job.