Andreasen expects formal dismissal before Prodi departs

By David Cronin

Date: 30/09/04

WHISTLEBLOWER Marta Andreasen expects to be formally sacked by the European Commission before the end of Romano Prodi's stint as its president on 31 October.

The former accounting officer at the EU executive was given an opportunity to address the 30 current commissioners yesterday (29 September).

This followed a recommendation by a disciplinary board appointed by the Commission that she should be dismissed for breaching the staff regulations applying to the Union's civil service. The main charges against her were that she had made unauthorized public comment about matters relating to her work and that she had failed to follow orders from the Commission's hierarchy.

She had written to MEPs and the Court of Auditors, complaining that deficiencies in the Commission's bookkeeping system left the Union's €100 billion annual budget vulnerable to fraud.

The Argentine-Spaniard was suspended on full pay in 2002 after being removed from her post as accounting officer.

"I can imagine that the Commission will make the decision to dismiss me before 31 October," she told European Voice. "They want to clean up the tables before they leave."

She expressed disappointment that none of the commissioners asked questions during the meeting. "I would have imagined if they were interested in a proper understanding of the issues, some questions should have arisen. But it sounded like the decision was already made and they were just fulfilling the procedures."

In her presentation, she alleged that weaknesses she pointed out in 2002 remained. The Commission's computer system was still "open to fraud and error" and will "continue to be vulnerable well beyond 2005".

She also claimed that a "nomenklatura" of top-level officials in the institution had resisted far-reaching reforms. "It is precisely this nomenklatura who has accused me, forced my suspension, judged me and recommended my dismissal," she said.

The Commission would not make any comments about yesterday's in camera encounter with one of its most outspoken officials. But an insider confirmed that a final decision in the affair would be made before the end of next month.

Marta Andreasen, the former European accounting officer suspended for unauthorised public comment on her work and the refusal to follow Commission orders, expects to be formally sacked by the European Commission before the end of Romano Prodi's period as its President on 31 October 2004.