Werner Hoyer, former president of the European Investment Bank, is under investigation for corruption, abuse of influence and misappropriation of EU funds. This was announced by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (Eppo), which announced that it had launched an investigation into two former employees of the Bank. “The EIB has accepted the request of the European Prosecutor to revoke the immunity of two of its former employees and the inviolability of its premises, buildings and archives in Luxembourg”, reads a note issued by the investigators. In recent months, German and Luxembourg police officers have seized documents related to the investigation and searched Hoyer’s home. “The accusations against me are absolutely unfounded and ridiculous,” said the former EIB number one in a comment released to Politic.
The investigation against Hoyer was triggered by a report from Olaf, the EU anti-fraud agency, which reported the case to the European Prosecutor’s Office, capable of investigating cross-border cases. Werner Hoyer, a German politician and economist, was president of the EIB from 2012 to 2023. During his mandate, the European Investment Bank played a decisive role in supporting the European economy, in particular during the Covid-19 pandemic. 19. Since January 1, 2024, Hoyer has left his post as number one of the EIB after being replaced by the Spanish Nadia Calviño.
On the cover: Former president of the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer, during an event in Colombia, September 6, 2023 (EPA/Mauricio Dueñas Castañeda)
