During a joint meeting of the LIBE and CONT committees attended by Laura Kövesi, head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, PiS MEP Mariusz Kamiński demanded explanations regarding investigations into specific scandals within EU institutions.
“The primary task of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is to prosecute perpetrators of crimes against the EU’s financial interests. Public opinion is constantly shaken by reports of new corruption scandals at the highest levels of power in Brussels. Your report on this subject does not contain a single word,” MEP Mariusz Kamiński began his speech.
“No indictment has been filed in court regarding the shameful Qatar scandal. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating one aspect of this case involving Henrik Hololei, the former Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport. What is the current status of this investigation? Is it true that you learned about this case from the media rather than from the OLAF report, which had been sitting in Ursula von der Leyen’s office for months? “How is it possible that, despite the evidence of guilt gathered by OLAF, Henrik Hololei continues to work within the EU?” asked the former head of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.
“What can you tell us about the money-laundering scandal involving Reynders, the Commissioner for the Rule of Law? Was the European Public Prosecutor’s Office informed by Belgian authorities that they have been investigating this matter for many months?” asked Kamiński.
“What is the status of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation into the purchase of vaccines and the negotiations conducted by President von der Leyen in this matter? The public demands clear answers on these matters,” added the PiS MEP.
“Instead, we read in your report about excellent cooperation on anti-corruption efforts with the authorities of communist China. And we have a new corruption scandal in the European Parliament involving Huawei. Do you have any information for us on this matter?” said Kamiński. “I ask for specific answers; you are an independent prosecutor, and the citizens of the European Union expect bold action from you,” the MEP urged.
In response to Mariusz Kamiński’s questions, European Public Prosecutor Laura Kövesi stated that the 2024 report does indeed confirm that cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and OLAF is “very weak” and that OLAF could do much more, particularly in cases involving VAT fraud. “Yes, we learned about the Hololei case from the media; we were not informed about it by OLAF. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened. I am concerned that this is yet another case that was not brought to our attention by EU institutions. We opened an investigation into this case on our own,” Kövesi said.
The head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed that the investigation into Pfizer and the EU’s vaccine procurement is still ongoing. She noted that the public may perceive the process as moving slowly, but this is due to the framework of international cooperation, which takes time.
“I can say that we have interviewed many witnesses, including EU officials who were involved in the [vaccine procurement] negotiation process at the administrative level. We have already analyzed many documents, but there are still many documents we need to examine, which requires assistance and cooperation from the Belgian authorities,” she said. “I would like to assure you that the EPPO is carrying out its duties, but we must follow all procedures,” replied the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, assuring that she would provide more details soon and emphasizing the independence of the EPPO’s actions.
