European Parliament vice president calls for Kessler resignation

Othmar Karas, the European Parliament’s vice president calls for the resignation of OLAF head Giovanni Kessler over John Dalli case.

EP vice president Othmar Karas
EP vice president Othmar Karas

The pressure on Giovanni Kessler, head of the EU's anti-fraud agency, got stronger following the European Parliament's vice president, Othmar Karas call for the resignation of OLAF chief Kessler over his handling of the John Dalli case.

Karas, a member of the Eruropean Popular Party, accused Kessler of using illegal and disputable methods in his investigations which led to the resignation of the former European Commissioner John Dalli.

Kessler "has no other way out, but to resign immediately," Karas told an Austrian newspaper.

Dalligate - OLAF FULL REPORT Download the OLAF report from Google Docs

His call follows that of other MEPs who called for the OLAF chief's resignation. In April. senior MEPs from the Budgetary Control Committee that is responsible for the monitoring of OLAF called for the resignation of the head of the EU's anti-fraud agency, after the annual report of the independent five-person supervisory committee questioned the legality of methods employed during the four-month investigation into bribery allegations against former EU commissioner John Dalli.

Green MEPs Bart Staes, vice-chair of the European Parliament's budgetary control committee, and José Bové, vice-chair of the EP's agriculture committee, said the OLAF supervisory committee's report had made Giovanni Kessler's position as OLAF director "untenable".

Joining in the fray was one of Kessler's man critics, Inge Graessle (EPP), who called on European Commission president José Barroso to take "the necessary steps to dismiss OLAF chief Giovanni Kessler and prevent further damage to the credibility of the office."

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Giovanni Kessler is being asked to resign on facts that came out during the investigation of how Mr Kessler himself conducted the investigation of John Dalli. He is not being asked to resign on circumstantial evidence like John Dalli , but on facts.But it looks like Mr Kessler has someone in high level to protect him.
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Barroso gave Commissioner Dalli half an hour to resign whilst Kessler has had calls to resign for months to no avail. Why? Is Barroso backing him to stay on? I think it is time for the European Parliament to sack the EU Commission's President similar to what happened to Jacques Santer in 1999.
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What about Barroso ? He should go immediately since after all he failed to check all these details and just sacked Mr Dalli on false pretences ! Barroso should go and on doing so should reveal who is really behind all this mess !
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Dawk l-ghassiesa zejda li hemm l-isptar t'Ghawdex jista jsir uzu ahjat minnhom billi naghmluhom wardens ta l-ambjent. Jista jsir l-istess mill wardens tat-traffiku waqt il-perjodu tal-kacca. Ghalkemm nibza li dawn jaqbdu biss lil Maltin.
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Finally! I might be getting back some trust of confidence in this poorly defined European Union, to me it is everything but a Union run by Germany for the sole purpose of the big German Industry. People are become more skeptic so much so that elections in this EU are showing people had enough of those rich getting richer and some states have over 50 per cent of their youth unemployed. I will be satisfied when Mr. Barroso get the boot too after all it take two to tango, Kessler and Barroso who made Malta look so irresponsible in its commitments. Not to mention the hidden hands of the local authorities who were so prompt to go along.