OLAF publishes Annual Activity Report
10-07-2009

Embezzlement in health projects in Uganda, evasion of anti-dumping duties for silicon metal from China, an agent in a Commission delegation allegedly asking for bribes in exchange for attributing contracts: these are only three examples demonstrating the large variety of cases in which the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) intervened in 2008. Today in Brussels OLAF presented its new Annual Activity Report which illustrates its work inside and outside the EU in the form of numerous case studies and statistical tables. During 2008 OLAF opened 204 new cases.

“OLAF again experienced a significant increase in the amount of information received, which confirms public confidence in our work against fraud and corruption,” OLAF Director-General Franz-Hermann Brüner said on the occasion of the presentation of the latest OLAF Activity Report in Brussels. “In the 10th year of its existence, OLAF is well-established and has earned a high reputation internationally. But OLAF cannot fight fraud and corruption on its own: our success also relies on our partners in the Member States, third countries, international organisations and in the EU Institutions,” he emphasized.

This year’s Report puts a particular focus on the judicial follow-up of its investigations. Since its creation in 1999, OLAF has opened more than 3000 cases. Over 300 individuals have been sentenced by criminal courts as a result of OLAF’s investigations to a combined total of nearly 875 years of imprisonment, of which 208 were suspended.

The financial benefit of OLAF's actions for the EU taxpayer was again considerable. Whilst the preventive effect of the Office’s work cannot be measured in figures, in 2008 a sum exceeding 460 million Euros was recorded as recovered in connection with OLAF cases. Over the same period, the Office’s operational costs amounted to 53 million Euros.

OLAF continues to be trusted to deal efficiently with new information on potential irregularities, fraud or corruption. The volume of information received by the Office has increased from around 500 new items in 2002 to a new high of over 1000 in 2008.

This year’s Report explains OLAF’s role as watchdog for the protection of EU funds drawing on the example of operations in Bulgaria. It also describes innovative methods of fraud detection like the provision of powerful analytical tools and know-how to facilitate and enhance the examination of Research Framework Programme data.

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