EU watchdog seeks clarity about Qatar travel freebies

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s administrative watchdog is trying to find out how a top transport official was permitted to fly to Qatar with tickets paid for by the government there. European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly’s inquiries come as a major corruption scandal linked to the Gulf state roils the EU parliament. In a letter made public on Monday, O’Reilly noted that European Commission transport department chief Henrik Hololei “travelled a number of times between 2015 and 2021 at the expense of the Qatari government or organizations that are close to it.” The trips happened when the department was negotiating an EU-Qatar air transport agreement. O’Reilly says it raises “legitimate questions around possible undue influence of the EU’s decision-making in this area.”