European Commission dismisses senior official over Qatargate

Brussels – A new twist in Qatargate, the alleged corruption scandal that rocked European institutions – particularly the Parliament – in December 2022. This time, the news concerns a decision taken a few blocks away, at the headquarters of the European Commission: at the end of a lengthy disciplinary procedure, the College of Commissioners decided to dismiss a senior official, Henrik Hololei, who, at the time, between 2020 and 2022, was Director-General of the EU executive’s transport department.

Yesterday (29 January), the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen, announced the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings against an official, without, however, revealing the name or specifying the outcome. EU sources confirmed later in the day that the official in question was Hololei, on whom the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) had completed an investigation in July 2024, passing the file on to the EU executive.

The Estonian citizen had accepted free flights and stays in luxury hotels offered by Qatar Airways and by representatives of the Emirate, at a time when the Doha-based airline was lobbying intensively for the conclusion of an agreement (later frozen) that would have guaranteed it privileged access to European airspace. A source confirmed that Hololei had broken the EU executive’s rules of engagement in three ways: in addition to the conflict of interest, he accepted gifts from third parties, and disclosed confidential information. 

When the case broke in March 2023, the Commission immediately took action by announcing stricter rules for third-party-funded missions. Not only that, but Hololei – who had worked in the EU institutions for over twenty years – had already been removed from his post as a precautionary measure following the OLAF investigation and assigned to a position as a policy adviser in the Directorate-General for International Partnerships, while retaining his salary. The decision taken yesterday by the Commission will not affect the seniority pension that Commission employees accrue after ten years of service, a source confirmed. This is the first time that an official of this level has been removed from the European Commission.