 "Henrik Hololei, Director-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission, attends the European Railway Summit in Saint-Denis, near Paris, France, on February 21, 2022. Reuters File")
The European Commission has dismissed senior official Henrik Hololei following an internal investigation that found he had breached EU rules, according to a Politico report, citing three officials.
Hololei, an Estonian national, was investigated over alleged violations related to conflicts of interest, transparency, acceptance of gifts, and failures in document disclosure, according to documents reviewed by Politico last year.
“I am disappointed but I accept the decision of the Commission and I’m happy that this long process has finally come to a conclusion,” Politico quoted Hololei as saying on Thursday.
Hololei previously served as a senior transport official at the European Commission and most recently as a Hors Classe Adviser in the Directorate-General for International Partnerships.
According to Politico, he was formally notified on March 21, 2025, that the Commission had opened an internal disciplinary procedure against him.
The case was based on confidential findings from a 2023 investigation by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), launched following revelations published by Politico.
A confidential document reviewed by the outlet last year showed the probe examined possible breaches of four articles of the Commission’s staff regulations.
“On the basis of the findings of the investigation conducted by OLAF and of the disciplinary procedure, the College [of European commissioners] decided to remove the senior official from his post,” a Commission official familiar with the matter said.
Without naming the individual, Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen confirmed the conclusion of the disciplinary process.
“The European Commission has concluded a disciplinary procedure with regard to a senior official,” she told reporters on Thursday.
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View AllThree Commission officials with direct knowledge of the investigation confirmed that Hololei was the official involved. Two of those officials, along with a fourth source, also confirmed that he was dismissed.
“This procedure established that the staff member concerned breached the applicable rules,” Virkkunen said, adding that the college of commissioners had “decided on appropriate and commensurate measures to apply to this senior official.”
With inputs from agencies