An EU official tasked with monitoring the bloc’s expenditure fraudulently claimed vast sums of taxpayer money to spend on lavish hunting trips with continental royals, it was revealed on Thursday.
Karel Pinxten, a former member of the EU court of auditors, said European taxpayers should foot the bill for hunting parties in France and Belgium because “leading European personalities” were present, according to court documents.
Mr Pinxten also claimed to be on official business when really on private trips to Cuba and Switzerland, or attending friends’ marriages, the European Court of Justice found.
Cool:
The official, who dabbled in property, also tried to rent an apartment to the EU’s top diplomat, whose expenses he was supposed to monitor personally.
That’s a nice scam.
The judges in Luxembourg docked Mr Pinxten, a former minister in the Belgian government, two-thirds of his gold-plated pension.
The EU’s pension scheme is among the most extravagant in the world for the public sector and entitles retirees to a large percentage of their final salary, which in Mr Pinxten’s case was around €17,000 a month.
The judges, who have no power to press criminal charges, said they had been lenient because no one had complained about his work while an auditor.
Tsk, naughty boy!
No wonder the accounts are never signed off……
The life Spud would have lived if only…
Mildly amusing on one level but the puke has been robbing us. A crew should be sent to dispatch him. That might serve as a timely warning to bureaucratic –and political-crooks everywhere.
Wouldn’t it be more sporting to hunt him, Mr Ecks? ‘The Most Dangerous Game’-style?
And I thought the report on Grant Thornton audit practices was bad, just goes to show to really screw up you need government involvement
Gee – I wonder why no one complained about his work as an auditor?
Despite his pension being cut by 2/3rd to €5000 a month it is still a nice little earner.