EU top
cop launches bombshell corruption probe into former European Investment Bank
chief
Investigators
raided Werner Hoyer’s house as part of an “abuse of influence” investigation.
"The
allegations against me are downright absurd and, unfounded,” Hoyer said in an
emailed statement to POLITICO. |
JUNE 24, 2024 2:03 PM CET
BY BJARKE SMITH-MEYER AND ELISA BRAUN
BRUSSELS — EU prosecutors tasked with investigating serious
financial crimes are probing the former president of the European Investment
Bank.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) on Monday
said in a statement that its investigation involved “two individuals suspected
of corruption and abuse of influence, as well as the misappropriation of EU
funds.”
Werner Hoyer, who retired from his post as EIB president at
the end of last year, faces a corruption case, his lawyer confirmed to
POLITICO.
Police officers from Germany and Luxembourg have in recent
months seized material related to the investigation, according to the same
officials. They also searched Hoyer's home.
Hoyer has denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer, who said
that the EPPO’s probe focuses on the departure of an EIB employee and the
compensation paid to him in this context. Hoyer signed off on the exit package,
in accordance with EIB rules, ensnaring him in the probe — even though he was
not part of the negotiations, the German's legal team said.
"The allegations against me are downright absurd and,
unfounded,” Hoyer said in an emailed statement to POLITICO. “I now expect them
to be fully investigated and clarified and ask the EIB to co-operate fully with
the EPPO. I am also co-operating fully with the EPPO and demand a full
clarification of the facts from there."
"We are calmly awaiting the investigations,"
Hoyer's lawyer Nikolaos Gazeas said. "They will prove that the criminal
allegations against my client are unfounded and downright absurd. This is also
why my client has expressly requested that his immunity and that of the EIB
premises be waived so that this allegation can be clarified."
POLITICO has reached out to the second person involved in
the investigation for comment, but has not yet received a response.
A spokesperson for the EIB said the lender “cannot comment
on ongoing external investigations such as this. As is the Bank’s usual
practice, we will cooperate fully with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office
on this matter as required.”
The investigation started after the EU’s anti-fraud agency
OLAF flagged the case to the EPPO, which has investigative powers to probe
cross-border cases, bring potential culprits to court and ask for reparation
for the EU’s interests.
A spokesperson for EPPO said it would not comment on an
ongoing investigation.
The Luxembourg-based EIB functions as the EU’s lending arm
and is instrumental in boosting development and integration across the bloc by
offering loans, guarantees and investment in the public and private sectors.
The EIB, set up in 1958, played a role in propping up the
European economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and supports EU policies
in over 160 countries.
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