MEP Ernst Strasser has been charged in Vienna with corruption. Strasser is one of many MEPs caught up in cash-for-laws scandals. Strasser was accused of bribe-taking after a 15-month investigation spanning five countries, in which Austrian authorities questioned 90 people, carried out house searches and examined various bank accounts. He could face up to 10 years in jail if found guilty. Olaf is still investigating Strasser. http://venitism.blogspot.com

Strasser asked for a 100,000 euro annual kickback in exchange for influencing EU legislation in EP. The indictment was triggered by the Sunday Times investigation, in which two journalists posing as pullpeddlers met Strasser and other MEPs. Strasser and Slovenian MEP Zoran Thaler resigned after the revelations. A third, Romanian MEP Adrian Severin, was expelled from the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) bloc in the parliament, but remains an independent MEP.

OLAF's mission is fighting fraud, corruption and any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of Fourth Reich, including misconduct within the Fourthreichian Institutions. OLAF is part of the European Commission, but remains independent in its operational and investigative functions. But the Eldorado of Prostitutes (EP) refuses to be investigated by OLAF! http://venitism.blogspot.com

OLAF investigations are carried out on the basis of competences defined in Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Regulation 1073/1999 of the European Parliament (EP) and the Council. The Regulation states that the purpose of OLAF investigations is fighting fraud, corruption and any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Fourthreichian Community and to investigate serious facts linked to the performance of professional activities which may constitute a breach of obligation likely to lead to disciplinary and, in appropriate cases, criminal proceedings or an analogous breach of obligations of Members of the institutions.

One popular haunt of Eurokleptocrats, especially MEPs, is the Treviso Hotel on Place Stephanie in the expensive and trendy Ixelles area of Brussels. The love hotel bills itself as a venue for couples with room service and discretion assured in glamorous rooms rented out at 100 euros an hour.

Anne De Schepper, the hotel's manager, points out the long lunch break is the preferred time of day for her clientele of Eurokleptocrats to commit adultery, courtesy of pullpeddlers. Eurokleptocrats are 80 per cent of Treviso Hotel's business, most of it paid by pullpeddlers. Unlike the traditional hotel industry, Treviso Hotel has not experienced the economic crisis thanks to Eurokleptocrats and pullpeddlers. Treviso Hotel is busiest at lunch time, followed by early evening in between the end of office hours and the time Eurokleptocrats need to get back to their spouses.

MEPs are told to beware the charms of Mata Hari type sirens trading sex for Fourth Reich secrets and business. The European Commission circulates a memorandum warning that middle-aged MEPs are particularly susceptible to long legs and blonde hair!

The permanent political class enriches itself at the expense of the rest of us. Insider trading is illegal, yet it is routine among kleptocrats. Normal individuals cannot get in on IPOs at the asking price, but kleptocrats do so routinely. Kleptocrats also get many hot issues, bypassing all fair procedures of distribution. By funneling hundreds of millions of dollars or euros to supporters, even more campaign donations are ensured. An entire class of investors now makes all of its profits based on influence and access to kleptocrats. http://venitism.blogspot.com

Kleptocrats have transformed politics to trade. They are traders who use their power, access, and privileged information to generate wealth. And at the same time well-connected financiers and corporate leaders have made a business of politics. They come together to form a kleptocratic caste.

Kleptocracy has clearly figured out how to extract wealth from the rest of us based solely on their position and proximity to power. If you have a seat at the table, you are in for a feast. If you don't have a seat at the table, you are on the menu. Throw them all out!

Political intelligence consultants are hired guns who dig for closely held information to be used to trade stocks. Many work for hedge funds and securities firms, who just happen to be some of the biggest congressional campaign contributors.

The revolving door is the movement of personnel between roles as legislators and regulators and the industries affected by the legislation and regulation and on within lobbying companies. An unhealthy relationship can develop between the private sector and government, based on the granting of reciprocated privileges to the detriment of the nation and can lead to regulatory capture.

When a kleptocrat leaves parliament to become a pullpeddler, he must wait two years before calling on his former colleagues. But, when a kleptocrat calls himself a consultant, a strategic adviser or some other euphemism, the big bucks start rolling in immediately. Plus, there are no pullpeddling disclosures required of these consultants. http://venitism.blogspot.com

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