Reports claim members of the largest group in the European Parliament are involved in the misuse of EU funds.
ADVERTISEMENTThe European People’s Party (EPP) has denied it has been approached by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in relation to an investigation the body is conducting into misuse of funds in the Europe Parliament.
The EPPO has confirmed to Euronews in a press statement that it is undergoing “an ongoing investigation into allegations of misuse of EU funds committed in Belgium by members of a political group in the European Parliament.”
Media reports have connected the probe to the EPP, but the party issued a statement on Wednesday stating that it has “not been approached by the Belgian authorities, or any other law enforcement agency regarding any possible investigation of any kind.”
The EPPO stated that its investigation for the moment is “merely into facts and there are no suspects”, and noted that it does not comment on ongoing investigations or publicly confirm which cases it is working on, in order to avoid endangering possible ongoing procedures and their outcomes.
The EPP Group, for its part, claimed it is “extending its full cooperation with the EPPO, as well as with any other national or European authorities, should it ever be approached.”
The EPPO’s mission is to tackle fraud against the EU’s finances, and it therefore has the power to investigate and prosecute crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests, including the misuse of funds by members of the European Parliament.