Criminal investigation into the MEP bribery scandal needed

Posted by Bronwen Maher on March 27, 2011 at 09:44 AM

The latest European Parliament cash-for-amendments scandal is exposed in the British press today, and there must be a full criminal investigation in these bribery allegations and swift response from the Parliament to tighten regulations around lobbying.

I have been calling for stricter rules on lobbying in both Dublin and Brussels for a long time. Furthermore the latest report from the Moriarty Tribunal shows how we need to introduce an Irish law against ‘trading in influence’ to ensure transparency around political decision making, Dublin also needs to legislate on political lobbying and strengthen our laws on political donations.  

Wherever there is lax regulation surrounding the legislative process, then there will be corrupt individuals who will break the rules for money.  In particular, there must be strict guidelines on potential conflicts of interests, reporting rules on financial interests of TDs and MEPs, mandatory legislative footprint for legislative reports and finally a robust enforcement mechanism. It is only through transparency, accountability and enforcement, that our systems of governance will have the full confidence and trust of Irish and European citizens.

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