Thread by @stluedke

Now in English, without paywall: We read the secret OLAF report that reveals the full extent of the #Frontexscandal. The agency covered up the Greek pushback campaign and even helped to finance it.👇 spiegel.de/international/…

The report confirms our previous reporting – and adds incredible details, based on private messages. Instead of preventing the pushbacks, Leggeri and his team covered for Greece, blatantly lied to the EU Parliament and its own Management Board.

The report is 129 pages long, submitted in February. EU public has no access, although its taxpayers money being used for illegal purposes.

There are blatant admissions in the report: "Based on the picture and information we had and the images we saw, it was a common belief within the Agency that we were been confronted with ‚illegal pushbacks’ but senior management wanted to cover [up]"

The Greek coast guard was "seriously endangering the lives of the passengers", an official noted referring to an incident from August 2020, when a flimsy dinghy, in an incident captured by a FX aerial asset, was seen being towed towards Turkey.

Frontex withdrew their aerial surveillance in response, so not to witness more fundamental rights violations. A handwritten note dated November 16, 2020 says: "We withdrew our FSA some time ago so as not to become a witness..." The EU agency deliberately looked the other way.

Such events were repeated, officials wrote in August, they were getting harder and harder to deal with. The incidents posed a "huge reputational risk" for the agency.

Leggeri and his team were particularly suspicious of the EU Commission which they suspected to be siding with NGOs. In messages they spoke about the "stupidity" of a Commission representative.

Frontex culture is toxic for Human Rights. Former Fundamental Rights Officer Arnaez was compared to communist dictator Pol Pot. They and their left-wing employees would impose a "terror regime" in the style of the "Khmer Rouge" over the agency, the messages read.

Reading those messages one has to conclude that the EU put Frontex, a very well-funded agency, in the hands of a right-wing populist.

The report focuses on Leggeri and his team, but puts  pressure on EU Commission and Frontex' new leadership. They would have to act now if they don't want to be complicit.

The report is apparently so toxic that many people don't want to read it. EU Commission VP Schinas, who insiders say is acting more as a Greek than an EU senior official, recently fumbled the question when asked. Kalnaja openly says she has not read it.

Commissioner Johansson is politically responsible. She has warned GR to stop pushbacks but COM has not cut funding. Nothing has happened so far, despite a lot of evidence, see e.g. one of our latest investigations:
spiegel.de/international/…

Kalnaja is obliged to end an operation if "serious and persistent violations of fundamental rights" occur. The OLAF report proves this. But she plans to expand the operation in Greece instead. This means more officers under control of the HCG.

Read our whole report here, w/ @TomasStatius @g_christides. @derspiegel @LHreports @lemondefr

spiegel.de/international/…

https://twitter.com/stluedke/status/1519781822216949762