RISE IN EU STAFF BREAKING RULES AND ABUSING TAXPAYER CASH

THE number of highly-paid EU staff breaking the rules and siphoning off taxpayer cash is rising, the Daily Express can reveal.

Fraud, harassment, second jobs and leaking confidential information were all disciplinary matters dealt with by European Commission officials in Brussels.

Ninety cases were registered with the Investigatory and Disciplinary Office of the Commission (IDOC) in

2019 – up from 77 the previous year. Disciplinary hearings also rose by a quarter to 178, the report seen by The Daily Express shows.

One employee – understood to be a member of the European External Action Service, the EU’s diplomatic arm – was even found to be illegally in “possession of arms”.

Other cases in documents obtained by think tank The Red Cell include officials who submitted false invoices and nepotism on contracts they managed. Former minister David Jones said: “This shows that the EU is not there for the people of Europe, but for a self-perpetuating Brussels’ elite.”

A spokeswoman at the European Commission said: “In 2019, the number of newly registered cases increased slightly.

“During the last four years, the figures have been more or less stable.”