What with the EU riding roughshod over its own laws when it suits
it , here and in umpteen previous cases, and also failing to tackle
serious internal corruption, the ECHR riding roughshod over our laws
and our own government hounding to prison innocent fishermen, the
rule of law has become a bad joke
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx cs
* previous relevant postings:-
6/1/09 “A travesty of Justice - in EU of course! “
15/4/08 “The fate of an honest man in the EU”
4/2/08 “Journalist, vindicated, hits back at EU”
===========================
PRIVATE EYE 1233 3.-16.4.09
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
OLAF, the EU’s in-house inquisition (officially the anti-fraud
department) continues to carry the torch for EU-style justice. It
has just been slammed by the EU Ombudsman for trashing the career of
a British consultant by spreading unsubstantiated allegations among
his clients.
The consultant, Gavin Jones, worked on complicated EU “technical
assistance” programmes in countries from Albania to Papua New
Guinea. In 2006 he learned that OLAF was circulating letters to his
employers stating that “elements suggest that [Jones had] committed
serious irregularities”. there were numerous follow-up letters and
interviews with “witnesses” . Jones’s name was blackened, clients
dropped him, and his work on anything vaguely European ended.
OLAF’s investigative frenzy has led to, er, not very much. At the
end of last year a file was passed to the “competent authorities” in
Britain but Jones has heard nothing more. OLAF won’t even say who
those “competent authorities” are; and Jones’s latest letter to OLAF
has gone unanswered, despite a six week deadline.
What irks Jones and the EU Ombudsman is the way the investigation has
been conducted. OLAF has refused to detail any allegations against
Jones, has presumed him guilty, has provided no evidence to support
any claims of irregularities, has not answered letters, and has
provided nothing that would enable Jones to mount a defence.
The Ombudsman’s view is unequivocal. OLAF “did not comply with the
principle of fairness, the principle of impartiality and the
principle of presumption of innocence.” Nor did it “justify its
refusal to provide the complainant with information on the
allegations against him.”
OLAF has not even responded to the criticism from the Ombudsman and
seems to have learnt nothing from its scandalous hounding of the
German reporter Hans-Martin Tillack [see previous postings listed in
intro -cs] , for which it also refused to apologise despite court
judgements in favour of Tillack. Jones says he will seek legal
redress. But will OLAF change its ways? Don’t hold your breath.
serious internal corruption, the ECHR riding roughshod over our laws
and our own government hounding to prison innocent fishermen, the
rule of law has become a bad joke
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx cs
* previous relevant postings:-
6/1/09 “A travesty of Justice - in EU of course! “
15/4/08 “The fate of an honest man in the EU”
4/2/08 “Journalist, vindicated, hits back at EU”
===========================
PRIVATE EYE 1233 3.-16.4.09
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
OLAF, the EU’s in-house inquisition (officially the anti-fraud
department) continues to carry the torch for EU-style justice. It
has just been slammed by the EU Ombudsman for trashing the career of
a British consultant by spreading unsubstantiated allegations among
his clients.
The consultant, Gavin Jones, worked on complicated EU “technical
assistance” programmes in countries from Albania to Papua New
Guinea. In 2006 he learned that OLAF was circulating letters to his
employers stating that “elements suggest that [Jones had] committed
serious irregularities”. there were numerous follow-up letters and
interviews with “witnesses” . Jones’s name was blackened, clients
dropped him, and his work on anything vaguely European ended.
OLAF’s investigative frenzy has led to, er, not very much. At the
end of last year a file was passed to the “competent authorities” in
Britain but Jones has heard nothing more. OLAF won’t even say who
those “competent authorities” are; and Jones’s latest letter to OLAF
has gone unanswered, despite a six week deadline.
What irks Jones and the EU Ombudsman is the way the investigation has
been conducted. OLAF has refused to detail any allegations against
Jones, has presumed him guilty, has provided no evidence to support
any claims of irregularities, has not answered letters, and has
provided nothing that would enable Jones to mount a defence.
The Ombudsman’s view is unequivocal. OLAF “did not comply with the
principle of fairness, the principle of impartiality and the
principle of presumption of innocence.” Nor did it “justify its
refusal to provide the complainant with information on the
allegations against him.”
OLAF has not even responded to the criticism from the Ombudsman and
seems to have learnt nothing from its scandalous hounding of the
German reporter Hans-Martin Tillack [see previous postings listed in
intro -cs] , for which it also refused to apologise despite court
judgements in favour of Tillack. Jones says he will seek legal
redress. But will OLAF change its ways? Don’t hold your breath.
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