TWITTER • EXTRABLADET Morten Messerschmidt used MELD to finance political conferences

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Morten Messerschmidt, a former leading member of the Danish People’s Party (DPP), has been embroiled in scandal after it was alleged he had used the Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy (MELD), to fund political party conferences and promotional campaigns. The reported misuse of EU taxpayers’ money was uncovered when former DPP member Rikke Karlsson demanded information about the movement after she was named as an Executive Committee member during a founding meeting in November 2014 without being present. Since the scandal was first brought to light in 2015, a number of allegations have emerged, including the fund billing the EU for the DPP’s “summer conferences” in 2014 and 2015. The EU has strict regulations over what grants from the institution can be spent on, including spelling out it cannot be used on political campaigns. It has now emerged the fund spent money granted to Meld on a fake climate conference in Poland’s historical city of Krakow.

In documents obtained by Danish Extra Bladet, it is stated the fund on June 30, 2013, organised and paid for the event. There is no evidence of the conference actually taking place, despite documents setting out that more than 800 people attended the climate conference. However, Meld-party Solidarna Polska hosted a party conference at the very same location and time, as the alleged climate meeting reported in the fund’s paperwork, it has now been uncovered. Tadeusz Cymanski, who was a member of Meld and a Parliament member for Solidarna Polska, has reportedly admitted it was the same event, according to Extra Bladet. The Danish newspaper, along with Newsweek in Poland have also reported that Jacek Włosowicz, a Polish politician who was President of Meld at the time, confirmed that Meld had paid for the event.

EXTRA BLADET MELD claimed to have financed the ‘climate conference’

I can prove that I was not present at the meeting Ms Karlsson

“I was personally responsible for the event,” he told the newspaper. Mr Messerschmidt’s spokesman, Kristian Olesen, declined to comment on the claims Meld funds were used to finance the Polish event. In May, Meld was ordered by General Secretary the EU Parliament, Klaus Welle, to repay more than €402.481 (£349.391) back to the EU. In August the MEP resigned as leader of the DPP delegation of MEPs in the European Parliament but maintained his job as chief whip of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR). The alleged misuse of funds was uncovered after Ms Karlsson took the fund to task after being named an Executive Committee member without being informed.

Outraged by the incident, the Dane, who is also a member of the European Parliament, demanded insight into the funds’ finances and structure. When the request was denied, Ms Karlsson revoked her membership in the DPP, which had accepted funding from Meld, and reported its founder to the police as identity theft. Speaking to Extra Bladet, she said: “I can prove that I was not present at the meeting. “I knew nothing about Meld at the time, and I’ve spent a lot of time subsequently to get information about what MELD is actually doing and what the money is being spent on.” The former DPP member revealed in a Facebook post this summer she had reported the Mr Messerschmidt to the police.

In the post, she wrote: “Based on the information in today's edition of Ekstra Bladet, I have this morning been at Hobro police, where I have reported Morten Messerschmidt for identity theft. “I can not live with that I [was named an Executive Committee member] of the Meld, six months before I knew about the fund's existence.” North Jutland Police confirmed to Express.co.uk the case is still ongoing. The European Commission’s anti-fraud office (Oalf) confirmed they were investigating the alleged misuse of grants paid by the European Parliament to Meld, and its political fund, Feld.

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