The anti-corruption group Transparency International EU has lodged a complaint with the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, calling for an investigation into an official from the far-right Patriots group.
The NGO says the individual allegedly misused EU funds as treasurer of the now-defunct Identity and Democracy (ID) group and still controls the far right’s budget in the European Parliament, posing ongoing risks to EU finances.
The complaint, sent to OLAF on April 22 and shared with Euractiv, calls for a probe into the European Parliament’s handling of the case.
The file involves Philip Claeys, who served as secretary-general of the now-defunct ID group in the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024 and now holds the same post in the Patriots for Europe group.
ID is at the centre of a criminal probe led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) into allegations of misuse of €4.3 million in EU funds, as Euractiv previously revealed. Former ID officials have denied wrongdoing.
“Considering the seriousness and scale of the irregularities identified, and given that the expenditures in question were authorised and validated under the authority of Mr Claeys, the initiation of a complementary investigation by OLAF appears both necessary and proportionate,” Transparency International said. It added that the anti-fraud office must intervene to assess whether there are still risks to the EU budget.
The complaint piles up pressure on Parliament’s administration, shifting scrutiny from past oversight failures to whether it is doing enough now to prevent any further misuse of public money.
It also comes as lawmakers prepare to vote on a resolution this Wednesday, urging the administration to take “all the necessary measures” without waiting for the result of the criminal probe, including potential measures to withhold funds from the Patriots for Europe group.
“There is no company nor public institution that would allow for an employee who mismanaged millions of euros – and is subject to a criminal investigation – to retain budgetary authority,” said Nick Aiossa, director of Transparency International in Brussels. “The Parliament’s Secretary General has the legal responsibility to strip Mr Claeys of this power and open disciplinary procedures.”
The Parliament declined to comment.
Millions at stake
The controversy over the Patriots and their budgetary oversight follows explosive findings from a European Parliament draft audit last year.
The audit, seen by Euractiv, pointed to irregular spending by ID-affiliated parties, including alleged fictitious service contracts, improper procurement procedures and donations to non-parliamentary groups with ties to far-right figureheads, such as France’s Marine Le Pen.
Claeys, ID’s former secretary-general, denied wrongdoing at the time.
“All payments made in the last five years have been duly invoiced, justified and controlled,” he previously told Le Monde.
The Identity and Democracy group was dissolved soon after the June 2024 EU elections, giving way to the Patriots for Europe, which now sits in the current Parliament. Some believe that the Patriots should be liable for their past group’s alleged wrongdoing, even if this could prove legally controversial.
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TI’s complaint echoes that demand, stating that Patriots for Europe have reportedly been asked to provide documentation regarding its use of parliamentary funds, raising what it calls a potential ongoing risk to the EU budget.
The NGO points out that Claeys, as the Patriots group’s designated authorising officer, still has final approval over expenditures and legal obligations to ensure sound financial management.
The organisation says those findings warrant an administrative probe by OLAF regardless of any criminal proceedings, “not only to establish past responsibility, but also to evaluate and mitigate potential continuing misconduct attributable to Mr Claeys.”
Claeys and the European Parliament did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Source:
www.euractiv.com