EU investigates Dutch ex-commissioner over Uber lobbying claims

theguardian.com:

The EU’s anti-fraud office has opened an investigation into former European commissioner Neelie Kroes, who was accused of breaking ethics rules after leaked documents suggested she secretly helped Uber lobby the Dutch government.

Kroes, a Dutch former vice-president of the European Commission, was a key figure in the Uber files, a cache of company documents leaked to the Guardian and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The documents appeared to show that Kroes, the EU’s top official on internet policy from 2010 to 2014, had offered to arrange a series of meetings for Uber with EU staff and Dutch politicians after she left office, despite restrictions during an 18-month cooling-off period.

In a statement to the Guardian, the EU’s anti-fraud office, Olaf, said that “following a preliminary evaluation of the allegations” its director-general had decided to open an investigation. The agency declined to give details, citing the need to protect “the conduct of the investigation” and “safeguard the presumption of innocence”.

It said: “The purpose of the Olaf investigation is to gather evidence, either inculpatory or exculpatory, in order to confirm or deny the allegations,” adding that it was empowered to interview relevant witnesses and people concerned.

It also said: “The protection of the reputation of EU institutions lies in the heart of Olaf’s work and is instrumental for maintaining the trust of EU citizens in the broader EU project. Therefore any media reports about alleged facts that could undermine this trust are taken very seriously by Olaf.”

The agency has not set a deadline to complete its investigation, but the average inquiry in 2021 took 25 months, meaning no conclusions may be drawn