Gaffe could rub out friend

Date: 17/12/1998

Green MEPs caused a stir last week when they publicised damning evidence of how the European Commission allegedly covers up fraud by its officials.

But they may have inadvertently thrown their source, a whistle-blower in the Commission's financial control unit, to the wolves.

Belgian Green MEP Magda Aelvoet distributed copies of a report drafted by her informant to the press. She had meticulously erased all traces of the whistle-blower's identity, and appealed to reporters not to attempt to reveal his name.

But no sooner had the document been handed out than a Belgian hack put up his hand to announce that the loose-lipped official's signature was still clearly legible on the copy of the report he had received If any readers have been waiting for a vacancy in the Commission's financial control unit, now is perhaps the time to send in a CV.