Summary: Battistelli has constructed or pulled together a Mafia-like family inside the EPO, where all those who protect the 'King' (or Don) are rewarded and the rest are removed with prejudice
FIFA analogies (or even Dominique Strauss-Kahn) have not been exhausted, but the Sicilian Mafia emerges as another match for what Battistelli has turned the EPO into.
"Remember when the thug in chief, Mr. Battistelli, had five security guards escort a bailiff off the EPO premises after his endless abuses culminated in a subpoena?"No mailbox will be available anymore at the EPO "because security" -- the universal catch-all excuse, according to this new announcement (warning: epo.org link). Remember when the thug in chief, Mr. Battistelli, had five security guards escort a bailiff off the EPO premises after his endless abuses culminated in a subpoena? It's like some kind of Mafia dynasty in a bunker. The outside world, including those who try to uphold the law, are treated like some kind of "enemy combatants" and treated as a security threat. "New security measures at EPO buildings," the EPO called it (this was also mentioned in Twitter), but we guess that Battistelli and his goons just don't wish to be "interfered" or "distracted" by all those people trying to enforce law.
"I see that the EPO considers the Isar building to be at a higher risk than elsewhere," one person sarcastically wrote in a comment. "Could this be due to BB [Battistelli] having his flat there?"
Battistelli has been a chronic paranoid for a great number of years, and it is costing a fortune to the EPO (six bodyguards).
Another sarcastic comment said: "So maybe The Boards are being sent to Haar for their own safety?? How considerate..."
""The Godfather's Mafia Model," one reader told us, is the model that Battistelli has unofficially embraced."Battistelli viewed the Boards as a threat to his totalitarian powers, so he drove them away (or will toss them out soon). They don't belong in Battistelli's Mafia-esque fortress.
Not too long ago we saw Battistelli paying countries whose votes he needed and are relatively cheap to 'buy'. We did not accuse him of bribery (that's a strong word), albeit his right-hand man faces bribery charges and the EPO as a whole often seems to an outsider like organised crime (not that we suggest so ourselves, but many people do believe so). Dutch media calls it an office of terror (it actually uses that word).
"The Godfather's Mafia Model," one reader told us, is the model that Battistelli has unofficially embraced. Here is the explanation:
La Famiglia (Sicilian business style at EPO)
Last year we were informed by DG4 insiders that:
- the chairwoman of the Internal Appeal Committee
- the Head of the Investigation Unit
- the members of the IU both in MUC and TH
all enjoyed the max. functional allowance ( = 2 steps per month), a financial reward attributed under opaque criteria;
This year we heard of the recent promotions of
- the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee
- the Head of the Investigation Unit
- the right hand of PD HR
Now more bread for the braves! we just heard that the participants to the farcical "social conference" should get 1500 EUR bonus Who said this was corruption ?