Document leak sparks new row at OLAF

By David Cronin

Date: 03/11/05

A row over the leaking of confidential documents has erupted between Franz-Hermann Brüner, the man seeking re-appointment as director of EU anti-fraud office OLAF, and the board supervising his activities.

Brüner has written to Edmondo Bruti-Liberati, chairman of the OLAF supervisory committee, alleging that the latter body had made "defamatory comments" against him.

His letter followed an article by German journalist Hans-Martin Tillack, published by EUobserver in August. Tillack quoted a 2003 internal memo, in which the supervisory committee accused OLAF of under-taking "fake investigations" into suspected mismanage-ment in the Parliament.

Brüner has now asked Bruti-Liberati, a prosecutor in Milan's Court of Appeal, to reveal who gave the paper in question to Tillack and why the allegations contained in it were never discussed with senior OLAF staff. He requested a prompt reply "so that I can take the necessary steps to respond to such defamatory comments".

Sources have confirmed that Bruti-Liberati has responded to Brüner, denying that information was leaked to Tillack, then the Brussels correspondent with Stern magazine, who was arrested last year on suspicion of bribing OLAF officials for internal papers, which he denies.

During a hearing of candidates shortlisted for the top OLAF job in the Parliament last month, Brüner admitted that the strained relationship between him and the supervisory committee had been one of his main problems since becoming director in 2000. One source said that he had "tried in many ways to discredit certain individuals in the committee", after realising that the latter's three members did not wish him to be re-appointed.

The Parliament's budget control committee has voted for Sweden's Björn Eriksson, a president of Interpol in 1994-96, as its preferred candidate for the OLAF directorship. Brüner was the second. It is expected that the two will have a meeting with EU ambassadors in the near future, though a date has not yet been chosen.

Article reports on a row over the leaking of confidential documents which had erupted between Franz-Hermann Brüner, the man seeking re-appointment as director of EU anti-fraud office OLAF, and the board supervising his activities.