Brussels — EU ombud Emily O’Reilly said on Friday she had opened a probe into ties European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi and aides have with private banks following a complaint from a research group. The nongovernment organisation (NGO) Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) filed the complaint over top ECB staff links to the Group of 30 (G-30), which brings together the leaders of both the public and private financial sector. "I have decided to open an inquiry into this complaint," O’Reilly said. The NGO made a similar complaint in 2012 to her predecessor who cleared Draghi of any conflict of interest but filed a new complaint arguing that the ECB is now operating in a different context. "I acknowledge the need to reflect on this new context. However, I have taken no position in relation to any of these matters except to consider that they warrant further inquiry," O’Reilly said. Her office would ask the ECB to allow inspection of documents linked to the G-30 as well as to...
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