A critical appraisal of the role of UCLAF
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/13590790710828172 |
| Pages | 460-473 |
| Date | 16 October 2007 |
| Published date | 16 October 2007 |
| Author | Brendan Joseph Quirke |
| Subject Matter | Accounting & finance |
A critical appraisal of the role
of UCLAF
Brendan Joseph Quirke
School of Accounting, Finance and Economics,
Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the mission of Unite
´de Coordination de la Lutte
Anti-Fraud (UCLAF); how it cooperated with Member States and how it accounted for its actions.
The paper seeks to detail examples of its investigations and to consider the criticisms made of UCLAF
by the European Court of Auditors and the Committee of Independent Experts which had been
established to investigate allegations of fraud, nepotism and mismanagement within the European
Commission. It will also seek to draw lessons from the UCLAF experience for the future fight against
EU fraud.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper used a combination of semi-structured interviews
with EU and national officials in the UK and Ireland as well as a review of secondary materials such as
organisational reports and academic sources.
Findings – The paper found that the fight against fraud was fatally undermined by the high degree
of fragmentation due to the multiplicity of national and EU agencies involved. There were
some self-inflicted weaknesses on the part of UCLAF such as poor use of intelligence databases and
the employment of a high number of staff on temporary contracts which led to high-staff turnover and
disrupted the investigative process.
Practical implications – The paper reveals how not to fight against transnational fraud. Lessons
need to be learned from the UCLAF experience, so that the same mistakes are not made again.
Originality/value – The paper is an addition to a body of work which is not particularly extensive.
It strives to offer some lessons for the future fight against fraud.
Keywords Crimes, Publicsector organisations, Europe
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The first dedicated Anti-fraud Unit of the European Commission was established in
1988, when the European Commission President, Jacques Delors, after much criticism
in Parliament and the Media, felt pressured to respond to what was perceived as a
rising tide of financial irregularity (Laffan, 1997). The newspapers of the time appeared
to imply that gangs of fraudsters were frolicking through loopholes in the Common
Agricultural Policy. The creation of the Anti-fraud Unit – UCLAF a French acronym:
Unite de Coordination de la Lutte Anti-Fraud was a supranational response very much
in keeping with a presidency which was activist and which sought to enhance the
powers and status of the European Commission. Delors as Dinan (1994, p. 129) states:
...possessed an abundance of ambition, competence, and resourcefulness. The new president
sought to infuse the Commission with a renewed sense of purpose and set the Community on
the road to European Union.
The main aim of the unit to begin with, was to coordinate Anti-fraud Policy and effort
within the Commission. In order to emphasise the general broad-based nature of its
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1359-0790.htm
JFC
14,4
460
Journal of Financial Crime
Vol. 14 No. 4, 2007
pp. 460-473
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1359-0790
DOI 10.1108/13590790710828172
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