Andreasen slams EC 'mafia'

Marta Andreasen, the former chief accountant of the European Commission, has
said she is up against a ‘mafia’ in the Commission whose aim it is to frighten
off whistleblowers.

Andreasen lost her appeal against her dismissal by the EC last week, but said
she plans to appeal that judgment too.

Andreasen, a
former
Accountancy Age Personality of the Year, was suspended by the
Commission in 2002 and later sacked after exposing failures and weaknesses in
the EU’s accounting procedures.

She had sued for re-instatement but the Tribunal last week ruled against her.

Speaking from her home in Barcelona, Ms Andreasen said the Court had taken
two-and-a-half years to consider her case ‘but they haven’t done any real
investigation, they’ve merely confirmed everything the Commission said.’

Because so many issues had not been addressed, ‘I believe I will be
successful on appeal,’ she said, though it was frustrating that this could take
another two years.

A reprise of Andreasen’s allegations against the Commission will be awkward
for the EC, whose court of auditors reports tomorrow.
Another
damning verdict on the spending of EU money is anticipated.

Andreasen, who is now treasurer of the UK Independence Party and whose case
is backed by a number of MEPs, said she was up against a ‘mafia’ in the
Commission whose aim was to frighten off any other whistle-blowers.

In response to a wave of criticism of its accounting procedures, the
Commission had changed the presentation and done some window-dressing in recent
years ‘but the only thing that bothers them is the opinion of the Court of
Auditors,’ she said.

Further reading:

Re
ad our profile of Andreasen

Read
our interview with Andreasen’s successor Brian Gray

Brussels
sweats on court’s accounts verdict