More government, more corruption
Posted on February 23rd, 2008 by bile Categories and Tags: Uncategorized, Brussels, Chris Davies, Christmas, crime, Derek Conway, EU Parliament, EUR, European Union, fraud, GBP, More government, politics, taxes, theft, voting, your moneyCROOKED MEPs are trousering cash meant for workers’ wages, it was revealed yesterday.Some hire “ghost” staff - then claim thousands of pounds from the £100million annual allowance. Others recycle the handout by employing unqualified relatives, a bombshell report on MEPs’ expenses found. In many cases the whole £125,000 allowance is paid to just ONE person on the staff. One assistant received a “Christmas bonus” worth 19 TIMES their monthly salary. Taxpayers’ money is also being diverted to party funds, with the internal probe describing the corruption as “massive and widespread”. Brussels had wanted to cover up the abuse - but EU fraudbusters have demanded a copy of the report. Last night Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies - one of a handful of people who have seen the audit - called it “dynamite”. He said: “The allegations should lead to the imprisonment of a number of MEPs. It’s embezzlement and fraud on a massive, massive scale.” All 785 Euro MPs - including 78 Brits - are entitled to about £125,000 a year for staff, as well as a £62,000 yearly salary and lavish expenses. But spot checks on 167 MEPs found many employee payments for 2004 and 2005 were not being properly accounted for. The scandal eclipses the case of Tory MP Derek Conway, who last month was exposed for paying his sons thousands for doing virtually nothing. Mr Davies said it made the Conway affair “look like small change” and called for the findings to be released to the public. The report is a closely-guarded secret and only MEPs on the budget control committee have been allowed to see it. An EU Parliament source hinted at a cover-up, saying: “We cannot make this report available to the public if we want people to vote in the European elections next year.” A spokesman for the Parliament claimed: “The document is not secret - it is confidential.”
The article speaks for itself.
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February 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 am
Wikipedia’s European Parliament article is interesting. Also, I read that last quote of your article with the mental image of cancer man from the X-Files.