Klement’s push for clarity over the scope of OLAF’s access comes ahead of an anticipated EU review later this year of rules governing the watchdog’s work, part of a broader revamp aimed at improving fraud prevention in Europe. It comes amid wider scrutiny of how EU institutions handle allegations of corruption and misconduct.
The issue came into sharp focus during the 2022 corruption scandal known as Qatargate, a Belgian probe into alleged attempts by Qatar and Morocco to influence decision-making in the Parliament. OLAF investigators complained at the time of being blocked from accessing lawmakers’ offices and laptops.
EU institutions have a “moral obligation” to “embrace transparency,” Klement wrote in OLAF’s annual report for 2025, released Monday. The body concluded eight cases last year involving Parliament staff members, the report said.
“We don’t have any problems with most of [the EU institutions]. With most of them we cooperate without any issues,” Klement told POLITICO. But it’s debatable whether the agreements OLAF has with certain institutions are “enough as a legal basis for the cooperation,” he added.
Under current rules, OLAF — an administrative body without the power to bring criminal prosecutions — must request permission to access the premises of the Parliament 48 hours in advance, except in “exceptional” cases where giving such notice would undermine an investigation.
A 2013 cooperation agreement between OLAF and the Parliament is supposed to facilitate access to the legislature’s premises, building on an agreement signed in 1999 that says the Parliament’s security office “shall assist [OLAF] in the practical conduct of investigations.” But OLAF’s scrutiny board said in a 2024 report that the Parliament remained reluctant to let investigators conduct searches.
