Petrina

Assistants to a political group in the European Parliament are listed on an up-to-date organigram as dedicated to a web site business run by the wife of Jens Peter Bonde who until recently was the MEP who headed the multinational Independence and Democracy Group.

In March 2006 EU Reporter carried a front page article exposing how Lisbeth Kirk’s commercial business was being heavily subsidised by the Independence and Democracy Group headed by her husband.



Independent Journalist Peter Sennekamp wrote that an investigation might mean that an investigation into the way parliament staff were working for EU Observer, a Brussels-based news site, from offices within the European Parliament might lead to Mr Bonde having to pay back the substantial amounts including alleged subsidies.

He was wrong. The then Secretary General Julian Priestly later announced that parliament did not react to media stories. However, signs on office doors designating then as “EU Observer” were removed and assurances were given that the practices had stopped.

This week EU Reporter was handed a document by a member of the group staff listing John Paul Kidner and Andrew Rettman as “EUobserver dedicated”. The document lists them as “Brussels Staff” and the “appointing personality” in both cases as “DA-Bonde”. DA stands for Denmark in parliament documents.

An outside businessman told EU Reporter that “whatever the actual cost of people working as assistants in the European Parliament the benefit in kind for two dedicated staff would be approaching €200,000 in Belgium if you take into account social costs.”

The revelation comes against a background of market-distorting media subsidies amounting to billions of Euros.

The list handed to us makes a mockery of this weeks decision b y the parliament’s bureau introducing reform of MEPs expenses for employing assistants. The internal document shows that Mr Bonde appointed the group’s secretary general Sharon Bonici as well as her husband Kevin.

The list shows that the group’s co-secretary general also enjoys the companionship of their spouse during working hours. Another list handed to us shows that secretary general Sharon Ellul-Bonici’s cousin Henry Abela is listed as ‘provisional staff’ and is, we are informed working out of Malta as a Graphic Design and Webmaster.

EU Reporter has been handed a raft of material containing serious allegations about the IndDem Group’s finances much of which is being used as ammunition for internal party political battles. Britain’s United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) are members of IndDem and the EU’s anti fraud unit OLAF has been conducting investigations into the financial affairs of a number of UKIP members.

EU Reporter began its current investigation looking into whether OLAF was targeting UKIP members because of their opposition to the EU. There is clearly a prima facae case to be made especially as British police have been questioning UKIP members, in one case under caution.

Unfortunately for UKIP and its personable leader Nigel Farage who says he is n ot currently under investigation but has been grilled by Olaf on the basis of an anonymous complaint any suggestion that OLAF has behaved improperly is now impossible to sustain in the face of the parties own political trouble making.

Those under investigation continue to declare that they are confident of being cleared. Less easy to explain away is the fact that misuse of funds under parliament riules by the IndDem Group appear not to be subject to investigation. Especially serious are allegations, apparently supported by documents we have received, that Jens Peter-Bonde’s new venture for which he resigned as an MEP the pan European EUDemocrats-Alliance for a Europe of Democracies is alleged to be receiving funds from the IndDem Group.

Such funding, should it be true, is strictly against Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 which states that “donations from the budgets of political groups in the European Parliament” are expressly forbidded (Article 6©).




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Petrina

The link to the EU reporter article is:-

EU Reporter | MEPs in funding racket

Geoffrey Collier

The accusations and counter accusations made, following disclosures on the EU Observer website, are only important providing that they are true. If documentation of wrong-doing exists, and UKIP is involved, sighting of it must be requested. If it can't be produced, or on production it is clearly a forgery, that does not dimish but enhances us.

The UKIP leadership, must know whether the allegations are true or false, if false, We should willingly make this the litmus-test of the party's integrity and credibility. We shouldn't have anything to fear; if we are assured by the leadership on this, 'motion of confidence', we should give them our support; confident that the true facts will be apparent within a short time and either our party leaders, or the authors of the report, will emerge victorious. Let this be the assurance given to the membership at next month's AGM., 'We are innocent, we assure you that is the truth, and should irrefutable evidence be produced to contradict our promise, those guilty will resign'. Could anythjing be clearer, could anything be more honourable, and should the membership be offered anything less?

Over the next ten months there will be many claims and accusations; but let us decide now; should any, irrespective of who they are, be found wanting in the honest execution of their duties, they must depart.

If next month, we are to meet Declan Ganley, should this not be the time, to make it clear to him, the type of people we really are? This is an opportunity that we should not miss. What alternative do the critics propose?

eublues

Article difficult to follow as written.

gawain

Frankly, it reads as if the author was unde the weather when he wrote it. The whole piece is a collection of old news, supposition and inaccuracies. So much so that it is not even worth going through it.

Delightful suggestion about the Co-Secretary generals daytime activities don't you think?

gc

Slight confusion... Sharon Bonici was appointed as Sec Gen of the EU Democrats (EUD), a pan European Party that is another of Bonde's projects (he is President). Her husband and Henry Abela were appointed to the steering group of the EUD, along with others on Ind Dem contracts. There was a huge investigation into this this in the EP.

There was a scandal a little while ago about EU Observer, and the degree to which it was being funded by Ind Dem. Bonde's wife was (and still is) fronting this project. As a result, the funding was pulled.

There was discussion of Ind Dem funding Bonde in his future work as President of the EUD, and I can confirm that according to the minutes of the relevant meeting, Nigel farage chaired that meeting. (This funding will not happen due to vociferous complaints to the Parliament authorities).

After this story (about EU Oberver) was posted a few weeks back, I asked to see, and was shown, the list of Ind Dem paid staff described as being allocated to EU Observer. I can confirm that the list exists.

I do not know the source, but I am aware that the Ind Dem secretariat is leaking like a sieve at the moment, following the retirement of former Sec Gen Herman Verheirstraaten. These two facts are not unrelated.

All these problems, I suspect, explain why Joint Sec Gen Claudine VanGrunderbeeck (Verheirsraaten's wife) has postponed her retirement for some months.

This was all discussed elsewhere on this forum a while ago, which reaffirms what I have said about the secretariat leaking.

Petrina

I agree that this is an extraordinarily awkward piece of prose .However we can draw some information out of it .
The writer has evidence ,so he says, that Bonde`s asistants were /are working for Bonde`s wife in some capacity in her commercial business.
He names Messrs Kidner and Rettman as employees of Bonde who also work for the EU Observer using the offices in the EU Parl.On receiving info from a journalist the EU Parl failed to investigate .
He further hints at a connection (not too sure quite what )between Bonde`s secretary and employment of her husband and cousin ,the suggestion being that there is an improper link.
He has a raft of info re the Ind Dem Group`s finances and asserts that OLAF is investigating the financial affairs of "a number of members of UKIP ".
One of the most damning assertions is that Ind Dem is funding Bonde`s new group enterprise the EU Democratic Alliance ,something which Tom Wise I believe also asserted some few weeks ago.

Geoffrey Collier

Gawain Towler: If, as you seem to be saying, it's old and inaccurate, my suggestion to make it the litmus test for UKIP's probity, would be a certain winner. With little if any risk, it would be too good to miss. But look at the reassurance it would give UKIP members and potential voters, when there is a general unease with standards in public life.

Petrina

gc`s reply seems to indicate that the article is full of accuracy .

gawain

Geoffrey,
I take your point. However for me to do a point by point rebuttal of this article would be a little difficult imediately. I would naturally have to check every single one of the assertians, and no doubt for the benefit of this audience provide some documentary proof at each juncture. Some of this I could do under my own steam, some however I cannot as at present I am the only UKIP staff member on duty in Brussels (for that matter from the silence in the corridors I think I am the only Ind/Dem staff around.

Thus I cannot get access to much of the documentation until after the summer break. I take my leave next Monday for a fortnight and then it is Strasbourg, conference and so on.

That being said, I will get in touch with the journalist in question and see if I can find out what the substance is in these allegations from him.

I hope that will do for now.