The European Union’s anti-fraud agency said it would not proceed with disciplinary action Friday against Poland’s candidate for the European Commission, Janusz Wojciechowski, following an expenses probe.
The agency, known as OLAF, said it had concluded its investigation into Wojciechowski, who has been proposed as the next agriculture commissioner.
OLAF had investigated the Polish politician’s travel and subsistence expenses from his 12-year tenure as a MEP. The agency concluded that Wojciechowski should pay back €11,243 ($12,298) based on travel declarations and attendance records, but that “no disciplinary or judicial recommendations have been made concerning Mr Wojciechowski in person.”
OLAF also had good news for Belgium’s candidate, Didier Reynders, as prosecutors said they had finished a corruption probe that found no evidence of wrongdoing. Reynders is hoping to become the justice commissioner.
This is somewhat good news also for Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen after she suffered a setback when the potential commissioners from Romania and Hungary were deemed inappropriate by the European Parliament earlier this week.
Romania’s Rovana Plumb was found by the parliament’s legal committee to have conflicting financial interests while Hungary’s Laszlo Trocsanyi’s bid appears to be over due to concerns over ties to a law firm. The committee also found inconsistencies in their financial statements.
Via DW
