Lithuanian Commissioner Loses Temper, Caught Telling Lies

Sciurus · 25-11-2004, 08:58 PM

Ashley Mote's still slogging away - his latest press release:

Quote:

First Day in the Office and EU Commissioner gets it Wrong

On her first working day as an EU commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite, the former Lithuanian finance minister was told that she was wrong by fellow left-winger Terry Wynn, Labour (UK) member of the Budget Control Committee. Grybauskaite had just tried to dismiss Independent MEP Ashley Mote as someone who criticised without having supporting data.

Ashley Mote had raised serious doubts about the EU's new accounting system which is supposed to be operational from 1 January 2005. In particular, he had pointed out that the new accounting system did little or nothing new to protect public funds.

Instead of answering his concerns, Commissioner Grybauskaite referred to his depositing evidence of EU fraud and corruption with the Serious Fraud Office in London last month. She then quoted from a private letter from Robert Wardle, Director of the Serious Fraud Office in reply, declining to take action.

In the committee, Ashley Mote had raised the issue of the 214,000 bank accounts that the EU is linked to in 45 banks around the world. In a prepared response, the Commissioner said that so many accounts were a
figment of Mr Mote's imagining and that the EU only had 377. She went on to dismiss him out of hand. His criticism of the continuing lack of integrity in the new accounting system was ignored.

This prompted the response by Terry Wynn, who told Commissioner Grybauskaite that she was wrong. She had to take Mr Mote's points seriously and she had to deal with them even if she disliked the source and the comments.

Mr Mote later confirmed the EU's 214,000 linked accounts by quoting from a paper prepared by the former Commissioner Schreyer. To this Grybauskaite declared that she had misunderstood and claimed that the EU dealt with 'thousands of accounts'.

Ashley Mote said, 'I am appalled. Here was an appointed Commissioner ignoring the concerns of an elected MEP. She could see I was working from prepared notes and had several EU documents by my side. Yet still tried to dismiss what I was saying. Not only do I not dream things up, I also establish facts before I ask questions.

'That the Commissioner had a copy of a private letter to me is a matter that I intend to take up with Robert Wardle at the Serious Fraud Office and with the Attorney General, his immediate superior.

'The point is that there has been no independent audit of the EU treasury for 14 years. The new accounting system is unlikely to be ready in January 2005 and all the indications are that it will be no less secure than the present hopelessly inadequate system'.

Notes to Editors:

For further information, Ashley Mote on 07836 220223

Supporting information:

Commissioners Siim Kallas (Estonia) and Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania) both attended the budget control committee on November 22nd.

Kallas is responsible for anti-fraud and Grybauskaite for EU expenditure (but not revenue). Together they now have control of the whole EU budget and of the fight against fraud and corruption.

Both are new commissioners, both are representatives of new member states, both are small states with only six MEPs each, both are former communist countries and both Commissioners were educated and entered politics in the Soviet era.

Both countries are smaller than the West Midlands in terms of population and have budgets smaller than those of many western cities.

And before you say it, I know, the title's another "Is the Pope Catholic?" exclusive. :P

mkpdavies · 25-11-2004, 09:17 PM

Excellent work from Mr Mote.

UKIP MEP'S really are showing the public they were right to send them INTO phpbb_battle, by voting for them.

If UKIP were not there, the other "UK" parties MEP's would be either not bothering to look, or outright covering up this sort of thing.

Mr Mote is clearly a very shrewd opperator. I hope he is cleared and returned the party whip very soon!

Sciurus · 26-11-2004, 08:38 AM

Modesty (of course) prevents me from saying he's got some excellent researchers working for him! And no, I'm not directly employed by him.

He's also building up quite a network of experts, including a big corporate accountant and a very astute QC.

First shots fired, let battle commence! :twisted:

25-11-2004, 09:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 30,604	Excellent work from Mr Mote. UKIP MEP'S really are showing the public they were right to send them INTO phpbb_battle, by voting for them. If UKIP were not there, the other "UK" parties MEP's would be either not bothering to look, or outright covering up this sort of thing. Mr Mote is clearly a very shrewd opperator. I hope he is cleared and returned the party whip very soon! __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

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26-11-2004, 08:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
Sciurus Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 66	Modesty (of course) prevents me from saying he's got some excellent researchers working for him! And no, I'm not directly employed by him. He's also building up quite a network of experts, including a big corporate accountant and a very astute QC. First shots fired, let battle commence! :twisted: