European Commission officials have fiddled their expenses, sexually harassed colleagues and watched hundreds of hours of pornography in the office – yet kept their jobs.
Disciplinary records obtained by the Sunday Telegraph show how dozens of senior officials at the European Commission accused of serious misconduct have escaped with little more than a slap on the wrist.
They include officials who submitted false invoices and attempted to secure jobs for family members on contracts they managed.
In two years, the Investigatory and Disciplinary Office of the Commission (IDOC) investigated 84 cases of suspected misconduct among officials. Some 43 staff were sanctioned, and six dismissed.
Life at the Commission is frequently well rewarded. One in five staff take home more than David Cameron does from his £142,000 a year salary, thanks to generous living allowances and a special 13 per cent tax rate. Sunday Telegraph.