Mandy faces EU probe
Brussels watchdog makes complaint about Peter Mandelson
PETER Mandelson faces an investigation over his links with a super-rich French aristocrat, the News of the World can reveal.
Private equity tycoon Ernest-Antoine Seilliere had "privileged access" to Mandy when he was EU trade chief, according to an official complaint by a Brussels watchdog.
It claimed that Selliere was effectively allowed to write trade laws - benefiting his clients - during a string of confidential meetings with Mandy.
The aristocrat is also said to have been given background information on trade talks and was able to "monitor and influence" developments.
The new row comes as Mandy is already under pressure in the tangled furore involving Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Tory shadow chancellor George Osborne.
The complaint has been made by campaign group the Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) which has put together a damning 6,700-word dossier.
The CEO has "expressed concern" in a letter to Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who is looking into it.
Dynasty
Selliere, 70, is the heir to the Wendel investment group - France's grandest industrial dynasty - worth over £5 billion.
He also fronts BusinessEurope, a lobbying group for big businesses - which got half a million pounds in European Commission funding last year.
Mandelson was officially rebuked last year after the CEO complained he had refused to reveal details of meetings with industrial lobbyists.
CEO now claims Seilliere's group helped him write controversial new laws which benefited its members and that he routinely shared valuable trade-talk information with it.
The concerns centre on a raft of policies brought in by Mandy during four years as EU trade commissioner.
He drove through an aggressive push for deals to break open new markets in emerging economies and secure access to raw materials and scrapped a raft of social and environmental regulations facing big firms.
Official documents show that at one meeting the director-general of Mandelson's office - David O'Sullivan - said there was an "open door policy" for Seilliere's group.
The CEO also claims Mandy let Selliere's group use his official Brussels HQ free for a conference to rub shoulders with top Europ politicians.
Meanwhile Mandy admitted yesterday the public were misled over when he first met Deripaska, saying it was 2004, not 2006.
And it emerged he has cancelled a trip - scheduled before he took over as Business Secretary - to meet the Russian aluminium billionaire.
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This article has 16 comments
In reply to oward Thomas, yes this horrible, decietful, dishnourable man has to meet with companies and groups etc in order to do his job. What is totaly innapropriate is to recieve hospitality on said companies yacht and whatever else he recieved whilst aboard. To then refuse to answer questions regardig hospitality is beyond belief. It will not be too long before this man is forced to resign again. He wont be sacked as Brown hasnt the balls to do it.
By duncan Walker. Posted Oktober 28 2008 at 7:06 AM.
The answer to Howard Thomas's observation is that the Commissioner's job is not to acts for particular businesses but to act in the interests of furthering EU trade policy as a whole. Give special access to one company and there is a risk that competitor companies within the EU will be prejudiced. That conflicts with the duty to act for the benefit of all (so far as that can ever be done within an organisation like the EU).
By FatBigot. Posted Oktober 26 2008 at 11:32 PM.
Lord Voldemort Mandelson is in a hole. Hope the journos keep digging it deeper for him.
This could yet be his political grave - and Gordon's.
I have a bottle of Champagne ready for the day he's forced to resign - or better still is sacked again.
By Tinkerbell. Posted Oktober 26 2008 at 8:27 PM.
Great piece Jamie ... keep up the good work
By Alex. Posted Oktober 26 2008 at 12:15 PM.
Peter Mandelson may yet prove to be Tony Blair's Horse of Troy, smuggled into Government circles to wreak utter havoc on his old enemy.
By Richard Van Ness. Posted Oktober 26 2008 at 10:58 AM.
The Brown hatter was quick to stand up in the H of P and demanded an investigation into the Osborne affair, yet the claims against Lord of Slime are far more serious.
By Henry Ellis. Posted Oktober 26 2008 at 9:54 AM.
Game set and match to Tony Blair, he knows what Mandy is like and has now got Gordon joined to Mandy at the hip, and totally tarnished by the association with Mandy.
By Big John B.. Posted Oktober 26 2008 at 12:33 AM.
Now we know why Mandy was dragged out of Europe before he could clear his desk.
Did he have time to wipe his hard drive?
By joh. Posted Oktober 26 2008 at 12:02 AM.
He's Brown Bread! LOL
By Tom Howard. Posted Oktober 26 2008 at 12:04 AM.
Keep it rolling N.O.W, we need this rogue exposed for all to see his duplicity and underhand activities.
By DonB. Posted Oktober 25 2008 at 11:53 PM.
business europe's conference,free of charge, at mandelson's charlemagne office, is only the same as the smith institutes conferences at Brown's office here.
By kera. Posted Oktober 25 2008 at 11:04 PM.
This is mad..can anyone tell me then how Mandy was supposed to do the job (and grow European business-thats the idea isn't it?) if he didn't liaise with representatives of European businesses/representative bodies. You can't do the job if you don't represent your clients (electorates and businesses) listen to them and also action what they need (after all they know what's stopping their biz moving forward) I think its good he had an open door policy. I note their is nothing and there would- be about self gain for Mandy.. Sounds to me like he was doing a good job..looking after business for Europe. If you step back and look at what his jobh is and how he did it ..there is nothing wrong with what he did.
By Howard Thomas. Posted Oktober 25 2008 at 10:07 PM.
Brown might have thought that this sort of thing would prove a useful diversion to the broken UK economy. I think he is more damaged as a result.
By atossa. Posted Oktober 25 2008 at 8:44 PM.
A malevolent influence on British politics.
Truely dreadful.
Brown may be smiling this week, but Mandelson's return is going to look far more damaging to Brown's judgement than Osborne desire to take a peak on a yatch.
Can't come soon enough.
The last laugh is the sweetest.
By SallyC. Posted Oktober 25 2008 at 8:24 PM.
TOAST!
By John Moss. Posted Oktober 25 2008 at 7:56 PM.
What a brilliant piece of journalism. Well done New Of The World! Don't let go of this scandalous story until you've exposed exactly what's been going on here.
By Stop the rot. Posted Oktober 25 2008 at 7:38 PM.