EU: European Parliament leaders have called on the incoming Commission President, Mr Jose Manuel Barroso, to clarify the facts about a French court ruling in 2000 against the new Transport Commissioner, Mr Jacques Barrot, for party funding irregularities.
Mr Barroso admitted yesterday he knew nothing about the conviction, which was erased under a French presidential amnesty, until it was raised in the European Parliament on Thursday by Mr Nigel Farage, a United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) MEP.
Mr Barroso's spokesman said yesterday that a criminal conviction had never been recorded against Mr Barrot, who denies any wrongdoing.
"Mr Barroso found out about this yesterday, Mr Barrot has a clean record.
"He has never been prevented from taking public office," the spokesman said.
Mr Barrot, who is a close political ally of the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, received a suspended jail sentence in 2000 but it was automatically erased by the amnesty, which also forbids any public reference being made to it.
Mr Barrot, who cannot appeal the conviction because of the amnesty, yesterday demanded that Mr Farage withdraw his allegations.
"He has to withdraw what he said, so the matter is cleared up, so that the parliament can be sure of the truth," he said.
The revelation is embarrassing to Mr Barroso, not least because he offered Mr Barrot the post of Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner before he gave it to Mr Rocco Buttiglione, who withdrew from the Commission last month.