Fraud Charges at EU Bring Vow of Reform
The European Commission president vowed to root out fraud amid allegations that European Union officials siphoned $6 million into secret bank accounts and spent it on travel, a riding stable and lavish dinners in New York.
Addressing a special European Parliament panel in Strasbourg, Romano Prodi said most of the irregularities occurred before he took the helm in 1999.
He was summoned to explain how the funds from Eurostat -- the agency that collects and tracks data for the 15-nation bloc -- could be missing. The money apparently was diverted between 1996 and 2001.
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