EU internal watchdog investigates Draghi

The European Union’s internal watchdog has launched an investigation of European Central Bank president Mario Draghi following a complaint of conflict of interest, the institution’s spokeswoman said.

Corporate Europe Observatory, which tracks EU-focused lobbying, accused Draghi in June of lacking independence because of his membership in an international forum of public and private sector financial leaders, the Group of Thirty (G30).

“We received a complaint and sent a letter to the ECB,” said Gundi Gadesmann, spokeswoman for EU ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros. “Now we are waiting for a reply.”