Antonio Quatraro

Antonio Quatraro (1934 – March 30, 1993) was an Italian European Commission official who fell to his death from an EU office building on Rue de la Loi, Brussels.[1] At the time of his death, he was under investigation for bribery.[2] The cause of death (suicide or homicide) has not been determined. The incident marked the beginning of a long series of fraud cases within the EU system.

Personal life

Antonio Quatraro was born in 1934 in Cassano delle Murge, Italy. He studied economics and commerce at the University of Bari, followed by a post-graduate degree in international relations from the London School of Economics. In addition, he held degrees in political and diplomatic science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and in commercial and financial studies from the Institut Supérieur de Commerce Saint Louis.[1]

At the time of his death, he was 59 years old.[3]

Career

As an employee of the EU agricultural directorate, he was head of the financial administration of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.[1]

In 1981 he was appointed as head of the Tobacco Division,[1] which put him in charge of tobacco subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy.

A 1991 administrative enquiry report provided ground for suspected malpractice, and disciplinary proceedings were initiated.[4] The case was subjected to an internal investigation by the European Commission (UCLAF). The investigation was abandoned following his death in 1993.[4]

A news article described him as "the mastermind in a massive tobacco payments racket".[5]

The European Commission prepared a report on the case, authored by Hans-Helmut Wachter.[4] Attempts by MEPs to obtain a copy of the report have been denied.[1]

References
  1. Mads Brügger, Mikael Bertelsen, Jeppe Rønde, Niels Borchert Holm (2009-05-10). "Quatraro Mysteriet, episode 2". Quatraro Mysteriet. Episode 2 (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. Archived from the original on 2009-05-16.
  2. "Douglas Watt Whistleblower Case". UNICORN. 2002. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  3. Lauritzen, Thomas (May 3, 2009). "Bertelsen og Brügger efterforsker EU-dødsfald". Politiken (in Danish). Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  4. "Written Question E-1991/03 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission" (PDF). Official Journal of the European Union. Publications Office (European Union). 2004-03-27. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  5. Doyle, Leonard (April 9, 1993). "Suicide exposes tobacco cash racket: EC official masterminded massive subsidy payments for unsaleable product". The Independent. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
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