Eurolink News

Libertas funding frozen over dubious signatures (5/2/09)

February 5, 2009 at 5:29 pm Leave a comment

EU recognition of Libertas has been suspended after doubts emerged about signatures on the group’s application to register as a European political party. Two out of the seven signatories required on the form have denied signing anything that they believed would lead to the registration of a political party. Igor Grazin, a member of the Estonian Parliament, and Mintcho Kouminev, a member of the Bulgarian Parliament, have both insisted they are not members of the group created by businessman Declan Ganley.
The European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents, comprising the leaders of all the political groups, has also ordered that EU funding of over €200,000 earmarked for Libertas be put on hold. Last Monday, Libertas was told that its bid to register as a political party had been successful, however three days later a statement issued by the Parliament said this decision had been suspended pending a check to verify the validity of the signatures on the application form.
A statement issued by Libertas said the two politicians in question did sign the form, but have subsequently been ‘intimidated’ so that ‘they now feel they must distance themselves from their actions’. It reads, ‘We deplore the corrupt, dishonest and anti-democratic forces that are pushing them to renounce their support.’ A Libertas spokesperson said the group has copies of the two politicians’ passports, a measure required by the European Parliament, available for interested viewers.
Meanwhile MEPs have called for the seven people who supposedly signed the Libertas application to be interviewed. Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins said, ‘All seven signatories must be called on to give oral evidence of their intentions, together with Declan Ganley as leader of Libertas. That is the only way we will establish the truth.’

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