In 2012 and 2014, Joaquín Almunia, the then Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner responsible for competition, made public statements concerning an ongoing investigation of a possible cartel. Crédit Agricole, one of the companies under investigation, complained to the European Ombudsman that the Commissioner’s statements breached the principle of impartiality by indicating that he had already made up his mind as regards the bank’s involvement in the cartel before the investigation was complete.
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