Corruption in the EU

[Unphased]

Am i bring unreasonable to not be surprised by Corruption in the EU, I would imagine it’s only the tip of the iceberg

Beautifully put @pointythings

Has anybody been found guilty in the U.K., to my knowledge No, you are innocent until proved guilty, are people suggesting that all of the police force is corrupt in the U.K.?

Well the screengrab of the article you posted only refers to 'allegations' tpp. No one has been found guilty there as yet either. Funny you didn't mention that...

@Unphased maybe you should read up a bit on how criminal justice works in most (democratic) countries and organisations. The order goes something like this:

Investigation
Arrest
Trial
Conviction (this is the point where guilt is determined)
Sentence

The EU situation is at stage 2. Re Michelle Mone the UK is in the early stages of stage 1, most of the work having been done by investigative reporters. At this point, both the arrested parties and Lady Mone are considered innocent.

Got it now?

Hello Nigel! What have you been up to?

Oh my goodness. Can you type that with a straight face?

But this story isn't about "Corruption in the EU" its about 4 individuals... not some great conspiracy.. the way your going on, you'd think it was 400.

What it shows is that European police forces have cracked down on it before it got out of hand.

Thats only because the Police in the UK don't have sufficient powers or staff for long drawn out fraud investigations.

And in cases like Mone the government doesn't want them to.

Are people this desperate that the EU is a shining example of all that is good? This thread has brought out some deluded people.

How is it that when some celebrities went to Quatar for money they were the scum of the Earth. The second its the Eu involved posters are bending over backward to defend them? It will not be 4 individuals, the number will keep rising and then it will dissappear!

And who specifically has been found guilty in the case you linked in the EU @Unphased ?

I assume that as you’re convinced corruption has occurred you’re basing this on a conviction? Otherwise what’s the point of your thread?

Where has anyone defended corruption?
If you can switch on your reading comprehension skills you’ll see that posters are acknowledging corruption in the EU as well as the UK (cos, people!) but applauding the law enforcement approach taken against corruption by the EU (which is much less apparent in the UK)

But this story isn't about "Corruption in the EU" its about 4 individuals...

Clearly a bigger story than just 4 individuals:

Could this corruption scandal signal the end of the EU?
Allegations that MEPs have been taking huge cash bribes shine a light on inner workings.

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/12/17/could-corruption-scandal-signal-end-eu/

Italian S&D MEP Roberti: ‘Network of corruption’ could go beyond Qatar and Morocco. Former anti-mafia prosecutor expresses fears for the stability and future of EU in La Stampa interview.

www.politico.eu/article/franco-roberti-italy-qatar-morocco-qatargate-corruption-eruopean-union/

Suitcases of cash, luxury holidays and secret accounts: Qatar bribery scandal rocks Europe.

www.ft.com/content/e3bfd079-5cc7-4f64-9db6-941ca9d5c3d0

A police stakeout, piles of cash, and a promise of reform: the week that shook Brussels.

www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/16/a-tragic-affair-european-parliament-stunned-by-qatar-corruption-inquiry

EU-Qatar corruption scandal’s no surprise — Brussels encourages sleaze

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eu-qatar-corruption-scandals-no-surprise-brussels-encourages-sleaze-7cr6gk530

'A disgrace that weakens Europe’

www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/12/11/its-a-disgrace-and-it-makes-europe-weaker-meps-respond-to-corruption-scandal

@Clavinova thank you for highlighting that the EU are actually concerned about this and taking steps. Could you please find us some similar material to reassure us that our own government is tackling the corruption in its ranks in a similar way? Thank you.

You have more yanbu votes than posts so I guess some do agree with you

Ooh. Links and everything

Not surprised by corruption

It's a good thing we are out of it so we can't be tainted by corruption.

It's like the Bat phone has gone off.

Did you have those links prepared to go?

I am not remotely surprised at corruption within the EU, nor at corruption in the UK.

It just isn't news.

Shady deals and backhanders are sadly normal all over the world. Brown envelopes for small fry, suitcases of cash for elected officials, and mega-contracts for oligarchs.

I must admit to a massive eye roll and a wry smile to see this had made it onto the Daily Telegraph front page.

You can almost hear those Brexiteers saying, yes this is why we voted out, even if our economy is 38 billion down year on year and that our exports are tanking, and that we have no nurses or carers. What a lucky escape

Oh thank God Clav has turned up. Was getting worried about her there.

I love this from Yes Minister.

How to handle bribery allegations

Yawn! Arrests have been made and further corruption hopefully thwarted. I am far more interested in the corruption of our current UK government than the EU. Do you have a current post on the corruption in the Tory government of the past few years? No? Quelle surprise!

Globe22
Do you have a current post on the corruption in the Tory government of the past few years? No? Quelle surprise!

Actually I do:
On Friday 29 April 2022, Lord Justice Coulson refused the Good Law Project permission to appeal against the Order of O’Farrell J dated 15 February 2022 in the group of judicial review challenges often known as ‘PestFix’. This was a ‘family’ of JR challenges, heard together, in respect of the award of various PPE supply contracts by the Secretary of State to PestFix, Clandeboye and Ayanda. In a judgment of 12 January 2022 ([2022] EWHC 46 (TCC)), O’Farrell J rejected the claims.

The Good Law Project sought to appeal on six grounds. Permission was refused on all grounds. Coulson LJ stated that there was an “overarching reason” why the application must be refused namely that the grounds did not suggest that the judge made any errors of law or principle, but were just “an attempt to reargue the facts”.

The appellants sought to appeal the trial judge’s s.31(2A) SCA 1981 ruling. O’Farrell J found, in respect of the PestFix and Ayanda contracts, that the respondent had acted unlawfully in conferring preferential treatment by allocating them to a ‘High Priority Lane’. However, she went on to find that it was highly likely that, even if they had not been allocated to that Lane, the outcome would not have been substantially different and the contracts would still have been awarded to PestFix and Ayanda.

www.monckton.com/court-of-appeal-refuses-the-good-law-project-permission-to-appeal-in-pestfix-ppe-procurement-challenges/

Jan 2022
Government wins court challenge over Public First contract for Covid messaging.

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/government-high-court-dominic-cummings-public-first-contract-covid-good-law-project-b977283.html

Interesting -

December 5 2022
Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla has once again declined to testify before the European Parliament’s special COVID committee.

Bourla previously pulled out of an appointment to testify before the committee in October, at which he was expected to face tough questions on how secretive vaccine deals were struck. That decision followed an audit report into the EU's vaccine procurement strategy that raised new questions about contact between the pharma CEO and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that preceded a multibillion-euro vaccine contract.

On October 14, the European Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed it had an ongoing investigation into the EU's COVID vaccine purchases, but has not yet specified who is being investigated or which of the EU's vaccine contracts are under scrutiny.

www.politico.eu/article/pfizer-coronavirus-albert-bourla-europea-union-refuses-testify/

June 2022
EU's von der Leyen can't find texts with Pfizer chief on vaccine deal.

www.reuters.com/world/europe/eus-von-der-leyen-cant-find-texts-with-pfizer-chief-vaccine-deal-letter-2022-06-29/