- Title: BELGIUM: CRESSON EMBEZZELMENT CHARGES THROWN OUT BY BRUSSELS COURT.
- Date: 30th June 2004
- Summary: (U4) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JUNE 30, 2004)(REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS OF FORMER EU COMMISSIONER FOR RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2. (SOUNDBITE)(English) EDITH CRESSON SAYING: "Of course, I am happy and also, I am satisfied to see that the Belgian justice made a great effort and worked a lot, it took five years, in order to see exactly what had happened and to understand that all the things that had been said by a certain amount of people, were completely wrong. Therefore the conclusion this morning of the President was to say that he didn't retain any charge against me and also against the people who worked for me and who have suffered during five years awaiting for this conclusion." 3. CRESSON GIVING INTERVIEW 4. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CRESSON SAYING: "My advice is that the Commission should be careful, because if they go to the Luxembourg tribunal, they will not win and also they should be careful, because exactly this same thing could happen to anybody." 5. CRESSON GIVING INTERVIEW 6. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CRESSON ANSWERING TO THE QUESTION WHETHER SHE WILL ASK FOR COMPENSATION: "This is not the main point for me, but of course I will have to discuss this with my advisors and we will see. But I think that the people, I am not the only one to be in this terrible affair which has no reality, of course, will have to give their answer." 7. VARIOUS OF CRESSON LEAVING THE RESIDENCE PALACE IN BRUSSELS, WHERE SHE HELD A NEWS CONFERENCE. Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 15th July 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Reuters ID: LVAF07ATGIVSR5I9PJ1HGM63Q5L6
- Story Text: A Brussels court has dismissed a case against former
French Prime Minister Edith Cresson on embezzlement charges
due to lack of evidence.
Judge Dominique De Wolf also threw out the case
against six former aides, a day after the prosecutor asked
the court to throw out the case because she deemed it to be
a political rather than a criminal matter.
The charges were related to business trip costs when
Cresson was a member of the European Commission between
1995 and 1999. De Wolf's decision came as Cresson met her
successors in the Commission over administrative
proceedings against her under EU treaty obligations that
could lead to a case in the European Court of Justice in
Luxembourg.
Cresson, speaking in Brussels on Wednesday (June 30)
said, "Of course, I am happy and also, I am satisfied to
see that the Belgian justice made a great effort and worked
a lot, it took five years, in order to see exactly what had
happened and to understand that all the things that had
been said by a certain amount of people, were completely
wrong. Therefore the conclusion this morning of the
President was to say that he didn't retain any charge
against me and also against the people who worked for me
and who have suffered during five years awaiting for this
conclusion."
Cresson is the first former Commissioner to face
questioning over possible criminal offences. Cresson, who
was in charge of education and research in the European
Union executive, was at the centre of allegations of
nepotism and mismanagement that forced the entire
Commission to resign in 1999 under threat of parliamentary
censure.
A Socialist who was France's first woman prime minister in
1991-1992, she had always denied any wrongdoing. Lack of
evidence had earlier led Thomas to drop efforts to charge
Cresson with forgery and conflict of interest, leaving her
to focus on alleged embezzlement for authorising 7,000
euros ($8,419) worth of business trips.
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