Schmidt-Brown, Dorte
Schmidt-Brown, Dorte
Danish employee of Eurostat who "blew the whistle" on financial irregularities within the organisation.
In 2001, Mrs Schmidt-Brown complained that the company Eurogramme had won contracts from Eurostat under false pretences. This revelation was ignored and she was transferred to a department that had no dealings with the company.
She then wrote a series of letters to Neil Kinnock,
the former Commissioner in charge of administrative reform, saying she was
being victimised at work for speaking out and that a "cover-up" was
taking place. In January 2002, Mrs Schmidt-Brown received a reply from Mr
Kinnock saying her claims were "unfounded".
In June 2003, the European Commission admitted that there was a huge amount of
fraud in its statistical arm and Mrs Schmidt-Brown received a public apology
from Mr Kinnock.
Mrs Schmidt-Brown is now
living on an invalidity pension - a direct consequence of the psychological
pressure she endured from her then bosses at Eurostat.
