Duits weekblad meldt nieuwe fraudezaak inzake tekengeld Europarlementariërs (en)

Deputies in the European Parliament have been accused of falsifying their signatures in order to be eligible for a daily allowance of 262 euro.

According to German news magazine Die Stern, there were differences between those signatures used to obtain the allowance and original signatures given by MEPs.

The magazine says the administration in the European Parliament suspected that some MEPs send "dummies" to sign for their money for them.

Roger Vanhaeren, a highly placed civil servant, noted last October that there were "certain questions concerning the conformity of various signatures in comparison with the original signatures of the MEPs".

These allegations come hot on the heels of similar ones made by Austrian MEP Hans-Peter Martin about his fellow MEPs in the Socialist group.

Coming just ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, the accusations, if true, are likely to further damage the reputation of MEPs.