Education Minister Dolores Cristina defended herself in the EU programmes issue this morning and said that the criticism directed at her, her family and third parties these past weeks lacked ethics and political honesty.

She said she was informed about the suspension last May. EUPA had informed the ministry that the suspension was in place until EUPA ensured that all safeguard measures had been adopted adopted.

Following a monitoring visit, the Commission made a number of observations in letters sent in August and October last year.

It called for more details in the manual of procedures, insisted on the need of more human resources, more control checks, better sharing of responsibilities and better use of IT systems. At the time, the agency had already been working on some of these issues.

Ms Cristina noted that neither the auditors’ not the Commission’s report gave any indication of fraud as had been indicated in certain media.

EUPA had not been investigated by OLAF, as claimed and she had had not secret meetings with this organisation.

The Commission, the minister said, had acknowledged the work of the agency to improve operations.

The minister said she was not bound to her political seat and was not in politics to lose her soul.

The inquiry board, she said, clearly noted that there had not been any intent by any official to act irresponsibly or against the interest of the positions they held.