ANTI-FRAUD: HEARING FOR NEW OLAF HEAD BORDERS ON FARCE.

The event in the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control was organised to allow MEPs to cross-examine the five short-listed candidates for the post of Director-General of the EU's anti-fraud unit, OLAF. The mandate of the current Director-General Franz-Hermann Bruner was due to expire earlier this year but was renewed temporarily to provide more time to find the right candidate. Following lengthy assessment procedures, the Commission whittled the original list of over 100 applicants down to five:

- Franz-Hermann Bruner, standing for reappointment;

- Johan Denolf (Director, Belgian Federal Police);

- Bjorn Eriksson (Swedish chief of police);

- Francois Falletti (a French magistrate and member of Eurojust); and

- Alain Gillette (Director of France's External Audit body).

However, the meeting was thrown into disarray after it emerged that Mr Denolf did not have the necessary qualifications for the position as he did not have 15 years of relevant professional experience after gaining his university degree as he had only been awarded his degree in 1992. Some members of the committee wanted to proceed with the vote as planned but decided finally to defer the decision until the...