EU says OLAF report does not concern Greece
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has clarified that its report does not constitute proof of pushbacks having occurred in Greece, its press representative Jana Cappello said on Monday.
Responding in writing to a question by Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), Cappello expressed appreciation for the opportunity to clarify certain interpretations provided in OLAF’s report, underlining that the Office examined only charges related to Frontex’s internal procedures and regulations during the execution of its officials’ duties.
As she notes, OLAF never investigated the claims about pushbacks [in Greece], as this is not part of the directives. It exclusively investigated how the regulations of handling charges were applied.
In its question, ANA-MPA requested OLAF to respond if it had actually investigated pushback incidents and identified violations of human rights by the Greek authorities, on the occasion of claims by German magazine Spiegel, through which the report was leaked, as well as claims by certain members of the European parliament’s LIBE Committee that the report contained “detailed proof of human right violations by Greece.”
According to diplomatic sources in Brussels, there is strong displeasure within OLAF over the leaking of the report and the attempt to politicize it by distorting its contents and conclusions. [AMNA]
