New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    EU preparing 'further countermeasures' to protect its interest, von der Leyen says    Saudi Arabia urges stronger global action to protect children in cyberspace at UN    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Saudi Arabia posts SR49.8 billion travel surplus in 2024 as visitor spending hits SR153.6 billion    911 emergency centers handle over 2.8 million calls in March    Israel announces expansion of military operation in Gaza to seize 'large areas' of land    US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias    Danish prime minister refutes US claim on Greenland on visit to the Arctic territory    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



EU parliament, anti-fraud agency bury hatchet in corruption case
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 01 - 04 - 2011

Akhir 27, 1432 / April 1, 2011, SPA -- A dispute between the European Parliament and the
European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) over a corruption probe into four
lawmakers appeared to be settled Friday, despite OLAF investigators
being still prevented from accessing the delegates' offices, according to dpa.
The two agencies had been at loggerheads for most of the week over
the case involving former Romanian deputy premier Adrian Severin,
former Austrian interior minister Ernst Strasser, former Slovenian
foreign minister Zoran Thaler and Spanish lawmaker Pablo Zalba.
Britain's Sunday Times has implicated the four men, saying they
accepted 100,000 euros (140,000 dollars) a year from reporters posing
as lobbyists to present amendments to draft EU banking regulations.
The lawmakers have denied any wrongdoing.
OLAF has insisted that it has the right to conduct an
administrative investigation into the case, while parliament
officials have argued that it falls under the jurisdiction of
authorities in the implicated lawmakers' countries.
OLAF officials on Friday welcomed a decision by parliament
President Jerzy Buzek a day earlier to allow its administrative
investigation and hand over a hard disk containing digital data
acquired from the Sunday Times.
Buzek at the same time, however, again turned down OLAF's request
to collect evidence at the lawmakers' offices in his decision.
"It does not include the possibility of searching the offices of
the members of parliament," a parliament spokesman reiterated Friday.
"That is a right that is in the hands of the national authorities.
The parliament (will) fully cooperate with them."
But OLAF spokesman Pavel Borkovec said his agency would seek "a
practical solution" with the parliament and the national authorities
over the issue of collecting evidence in the offices.
"We did not drop it," another OLAF official, who asked not to be
named, said. "It's an option, one of the possible tools or means of
the investigation. At the end, we will see if we still need to go
there ... It's no longer a legal dispute."
He said the agency is now focused on completing its investigation
"as quickly as possible." Although the inquiry is not criminal in
nature, some OLAF administrative investigations have in the past led
to criminal charges being filed.
As part of the inquiry, OLAF plans to interview witnesses and the
implicated lawmakers. The official declined to comment on whether
contacts had been made with the four delegates.
He added, however, that he thought it would be "in their own
interest to give a statement."


Clic here to read the story from its source.