ā” EU watchdog warns against mass deletion of leaders' textsš±
Ursula von der Leyen is under fire once again over her texting. This time, the European Ombudsman told the Commission chief to stop auto-deleting her texts with EU leaders.
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Ursula von der Leyen and her fellow commissioners shouldnāt auto-delete text messages, the European Ombudswoman has decided. Even after Pfizergate, the EC President kept using the disappearing messages function on Signal to communicate with EU leaders like Emmanuel Macron. And that needs to change.
Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism
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Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism
NEW: The Moroccan Banque Central Populaire (BCP) today reached a ā¬175 million (ā¼ļø) settlement with Belgian prosecutors, who were investigating the bank and its French subsidiary, Chaabi Bank, over alleged illegal banking activities in Belgium.
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This week in Bureau Brussels:
š The EUās right to know problem
š”ļøEuropean Parliament shields three members from Huawei corruption probe
š®šø Icelandās accession referendum faces interference fears
š¤ A ā¬500 million boost for US artificial intelligence platform
The EUās flagship corporate sustainability law was meant to hold companies accountable for abuses in their supply chains. Journalist Hans Wetzels obtained leaked documents suggesting efforts to weaken it were driven in part by pressure from Washington.
Russian bots have turned him into a deepfake. He avoids travelling to the US over fears he could be on a watchlist. In an interview with Follow the Money, @bellingcat.com founder @eliothiggins.bsky.social explains why, after years of high-stakes investigations, āthe paranoia gets to youā.
In a rare clash between two EU watchdogs, the EPPO has emerged victorious. The blocās independent prosecutor sued the ECA for refusing to allow a dozen of its staff to testify in an ongoing fraud investigation involving the institutionās former president, Klaus-Heiner Lehne.
Russiaās shadow fleet relies on a hidden workforce: former soldiers, intelligence operatives, and mercenaries. We identified 83 Russian security guards aboard oil tankers and spoke to some of the men helping protect the trade that funds Putinās war in Ukraine.
This week at Follow the Money:
š The Ombudswoman ruled the Commission mishandled our request for deleted texts
šļø A podcast on investors betting on rising food prices amid the Iran war
šµļø An interview with Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins
āļø Volkswagen won a long-running Dieselgate court battle
