Probe into corruption allegations against trade official

THE European Anti-Fraud Office has opened an investigation into a senior commission official accused of passing on secret commercial information in return for a promise of money when he retired.

The man, a German lawyer working in the Trade Directorate in Brussels, was wined and dined by journalists from The Sunday Times posing as lobbyists representing Chinese business interests.

Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is reported to be furious and has ordered Directorate head, Irishman David O’Sullivan, to ensure the code of conduct is being rigorously adhered to.

There was surprise in Brussels that the person at the centre of the allegations, Fritz-Harald Wenig, having spent the past 10 years imposing tariffs on Chinese and other countries to protect EU business, would now appear to change sides.

If the anti-fraud office finds the allegations are correct, they could decide to hand it over to the national authorities in either Belgium or Germany for criminal prosecution.