The European Parliament intends pleading the inadmissibility of the case of certain MEPs in the affair of OLAF enquiries

28/01/2000 (Agence Europe)

The European Parliament's legal services are said to intend pleading the inadmissibility of the case Euro-MPs who have called for the annulment of the EP decision enabling the anti-fraud office, Olaf, to conduct enquiries within its body, considering that a minority of parliamentarians may not challenge a decision taken by the majority. Regarding the substance of the case, recalling that the creation of Olaf had been an EP idea, the EP legal experts argue that if the MEPs did not agree with it, they should not have accepted in plenary the amendment to the Internal Rules of Procedure recognising the powers of Olaf. The legal experts point out that some MEPs who are said to have voted in favour of this reform in plenary, are now among the 70 MEPs backing Willi Rothley, Klaus-Heiner Lehne, Johannes Voggenhuber and Olivier Dupuis in their move.

As for the request for a preliminary ruling to secure the provisional suspension of the decision while waiting for the ruling as to the substance of the case, Parliament has until 7 February at midday to send in its written observations. No date for the hearing has yet been scheduled.