European Parliament "disappeared" Billions of Euros

Palscam via IsraPundit ^ | September 25, 2003 | David Frankfurter

[JerseyHighlander]

European Money

The following needs to be taken up and publicised to the Europeans.Forward on to any contacts you may have.

Palscam David Frankfurter September 25, 2003

For the last 8 years, the European Court of Auditors has refused to sign off the accounts of the European Commission, saying that they can only be assured that 5% of taxpayers' money is being spent properly. That's tens of billions of whatever-currency-you-chose that the auditors won't vouch for.

The European Parliament is abuzz with today’s scheduled announcement of the results of an investigation into the "Eurostat" scandal, where millions of Euro are supposed to have disappeared. Just as the 'defenders' claim that this is the only such case and that there has been no real fraud, just a bending of rules to get the job done in the face of massive red tape that would otherwise make it impossible.... the European fraud squad OLAF has been asked to investigate accusations that millions more have been siphoned off by the Technology Bureau of the EU.

EU Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten, is quoted as saying that none of the money was used to buy "furs for mistresses" or "villas in the Mediterranean". Now where have we heard that name before? Oh, yes! Chris Patten supervises EU aid to the Palestinian Authority. Remember around this time last year he refused to accept any evidence that EU funds might have been diverted to corruption and terrorism? He didn't think that copies of cheques authorised by Arafat, made out to terrorists from the EU supported salary account, was convincing evidence. His main defence was that it couldn't happen, because the International Monetary Fund had controls in place. He persisted with this claim well after the IMF had denied that it performed a monitoring role. In fact, George Abed (a Palestinian and a senior IMF officer) publicly said on the question "there has, no doubt, been some abuse."

Finally, Patten convinced the EU President to stonewall a request supported by the required number of MEP signatories to set up a public Parliamentary Inquiry. Instead, a limited and secret investigation was launched by OLAF, and a working group was formed to see how to do things better in the future.

Just as the EU is rocked by its multi-million dollar scandals, last Saturday the IMF came out with a report on the West Bank and Gaza, identifying US$900m that had been creamed off tax income into secret accounts controlled by Yasser Arafat. 'Most' of this money had been invested in 'public' assets - although when pushed at a press conference, the IMF admitted that they did not know where all the money had gone, and that some may have been 'misused'. Most significantly, aside from this quantified sum, the IMF reported significant control weaknesses over accounts used for general and salary PA budgets supported by EU grants. The weaknesses reported certainly are of the sort that could allow the abuses documented in evidence captured by the Israeli Defense Forces, and so vehemently denied by the European Commission.

If Patten’s touchstone – the IMF – has identified the very control weaknesses that the Commission claimed didn’t exist, it would seem that a full investigation is more than warranted - and should include a review of the public record of the Commission's representatives since these accusations first came to light.

© David Frankfurter 2003

[JerseyHighlander]

The EU has sent more money to Arafat over the years then they are willing to send to rebuild Iraq. The Eurocrats are milking the people of millions, yet the press gives it little mention, and countries want to join the Union still. What a scam.

[goldstategop]

Eurotrash socialism at work. Film at 11.

[polemikos]

hehehe

[Mo1]

Hmmmm ... I'm thinking folks aren't gonna be to happy to hear this bit of news

[Southack]

These EU leaders aren't even elected by their own people...

[samtheman]

Which one of the ten little dimwits running for the dimowit nomination is going to be the first to suggest that the US taxpayer get involved and "help out our European friends"?

[dennisw]

btttttttttttttttt

[dennisw]

Pious frauds. And they dare to come down hard on Israel when Israel kills Hamas leaders and takes other vigorous action against terrorist scum.

[cookcounty]

Big deal. Under Clinton the Department of Education lost over $1 billion. Congress doesn't care, the Republicans don't care, the Bush administration doesn't care, and the press feels it's important to give poor, abused x42 a pass.

[cookcounty]

"Just as the EU is rocked by its multi-million dollar scandals, last Saturday the IMF came out with a report on the West Bank and Gaza, identifying US$900m that had been creamed off tax income into secret accounts controlled by Yasser Arafat."

Can anybody explain why Europeans are so naive?

[July 4th]

The following needs to be taken up and publicised to the Europeans

This is the big story in Europe today, as it's a really big deal for a European Commission that was crushed under fraud charges just 4 years ago.

[freeangel]

It's just a case of EU echoing the dems motto"I didn,t do it and it's not my job."

[widgysoft]

too right, now where else does that happen! I don't see the people of the world electing leaders for the UN.

[Orbiting_Rosie's_Head]

last Saturday the IMF came out with a report on the West Bank and Gaza, identifying US$900m that had been creamed off tax income into secret accounts controlled by Yasser Arafat. 'Most' of this money had been invested in 'public' assets - although when pushed at a press conference, the IMF admitted that they did not know where all the money had gone, and that some may have been 'misused'.

Belt bombs?

[.cnI redruM]

>>>>For the last 8 years, the European Court of Auditors has refused to sign off the accounts of the European Commission, saying that they can only be assured that 5% of taxpayers' money is being spent properly.

That's better than I thought the EU would be capable of. The Europeans in the EU are only vaguely aware that they no longer live under a democratic governemnt.