02.22.16
New EPO Rumours About Benoît Battistelli’s Potential Role in the Bygmalion Affair
EPO: The French connection and a rumoured link to the Bygmalion affair
Summary: Benoît Battistelli’s strong links to Sarkozy and new reports about a corrupt network around Sarkozy lead some people to the suspicion that Battistelli too could (just could) be implicated
THE EPO is in a terrible state right now. This might soon leave the Office looking for new management. “Here is an update about the latest rumours at the EPO,” one reader wrote to us, taking note of something which we were never quite aware of, even though we knew that Battistelli was close to Nicolas Sarkozy, who is widely vilified by now (and for good reasons).
“It seems that there is talk of a link to the “Bygmalion affair” in France,” our reader told us. “The “Bygmalion affair” concerns the funding of Sarkozy’s failed Presidential election campaign in 2012. The latest rumour is that Battistelli is also under investigation in France for having allegedly “redirected” EPO funds to help finance Sarkozy’s election campaign.”
“This might soon leave the Office looking for new management.”
–AnonymousIf true, then he and Željko Topić might have another — pardon the pun — topic for discussion.
“So far this is only an unconfirmed rumour but the allegations seem plausible,” our reader told us; nonetheless it is circulating in the Office right now. “Battistelli is a member of the same political party as Sarkozy and he even holds an elected political office in France as a town councilor in St. Germain-en-Laye,” our reader added.
As a matter of fact, according to the ILOAT in Geneva such party political connections are not supposed to be allowed for international civil servants [PDF]: “…an international civil servant, though entitled to hold his own political views, must stand aloof from demonstrations of adherence to a political party. Integrity, loyalty to the international civil service, independence and impartiality are the standards required of an international civil servant and they require him to keep clear of involvement in national party politics.”
“Battistelli is a member of the same political party as Sarkozy and he even holds an elected political office in France as a town councilor in St. Germain-en-Laye.”
–AnonymousWe took note of this before, but if there is also a connection to the aforementioned scandal, then further debates are worth entertaining. “Another interesting coincidence worth mentioning,” our reader said, “is that Battistelli persuaded the Administrative Council to abolish its independent Audit Committee in 2011. This meant that all the audit functions at the EPO were under the direct control of the President!”
“Honi soit qui mal y pense!
“It’s incredible to think that the Administrative Council would have agreed to such a move but they did. They may now be about to discover the consequences of their monumentally stupid decision to abolish the Audit Committee!
“If there is any substance to the rumours about a connection to the “Bygmalion affair”, it is very likely that the Ides of March are approaching for Battistelli and his crew.”
We also received some rumours regarding Bergot’s department, but we shall say more about that a little later today (as we meanwhile leave a window of time for further affirmation or refutation). Our reader “didn’t hear anything about Bergot,” s/he told us. “But at the moment everything is possible if the rumours about Battistelli’s link to the “Bygmalion affair” are true.
“Sarkozy was President of France until 2012 so the picture that is starting to emerge is that Battistelli was “planted” into the EPO by Sarkozy in order to siphon off funds for party political purposes in France.”
–Anonymous“Some background information about Sarkozy and Bygmalion can be found here [in English] or here.
“The subscription article from mediapart.fr states that so far 32 people have been implicated in the “Bygmalion affair” so this is a major political scandal in France. If there does turn out to be a link to the EPO, then it will be political dynamite on a European level. Sarkozy was President of France until 2012 so the picture that is starting to emerge is that Battistelli was “planted” into the EPO by Sarkozy in order to siphon off funds for party political purposes in France.
“If Battistelli really did siphon off funds for Sarkozy, then the Administrative Council of the EPO is also seriously implicated in the affair because those geniuses were the ones who agreed to Battistelli’s proposal to abolish the EPO’s independent Audit Committee in 2011 as previously covered by Techrights.
“At the moment it’s too early to predict where exactly this is going to lead but some serious “doo-doo” is likely to hit the fan pretty soon.”
–Anonymous“If an independent Audit Committee had still been in existence in 2011 and 2012 it’s doubtful as to whether any kind of financial irregularity on the scale being suggested could have taken place.
“At the moment it’s too early to predict where exactly this is going to lead but some serious “doo-doo” is likely to hit the fan pretty soon. And it won’t be pleasant for Battistelli and his crew.” █
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