[Belgian] Police search home and office of journalist who exposed fraud

Belgian police search the office of Stern Magazine
correspondent Hans-Martin Tillack

From this:

The Brussels editor of German magazine Stern was released from police custody on Friday.

His release came after ten hours of questioning, said Stern's editor Norbert Hofler.

Mr Tillack was taken into police custody on Friday morning (19 March) after the police raided his office.

The investigation was to do with an allegation of bribery in connection with a case the German journalist wrote about in 2002.

His articles covered alleged irregularities that had been raised by an EU official, Paul van Buitenen, and the related inquiries carried out by the Commission's anti-fraud office OLAF — and were based on confidential documents...

Mr Tillack's home was searched by the police, who confiscated material on paper, computers and cell-phones...

Mr Tillack is well-known in Brussels media circles. He was the first journalist to report the investigations into the irregularities of the EU statistical arm, Eurostat, which led to the removal of the responsible officials.

He has lately run stories on MEPs allegedly falsifying signatures qualifying for daily allowances and MEPs employing their wives and family members...

There's another article here, and the Stern response (auf Deutsch) ist hier.

Reporters sans frontieres has a report here.

(Via DailyPundit)

Politics · Sat, 03/20/2004 - 15:07 · · Importance: 1