"The European Commission has a poor track record of responding to whistleblowers," said Toby J.F. Bishop, CFE, CPA, FCA, President and CEO of the ACFE. "In the interests of its own credibility and to rebuild trust with taxpayers, the Commission needs to demonstrate its commitment to fighting fraud and creating a workplace of integrity."

"This decision will only increase public suspicion of misuse of EU funds. Andreasen acted in the public interest by expressing her concerns to other EU bodies after her superiors failed to act. She appears to have been wrongly punished without a proper investigation being performed. An independent public inquiry could establish whether her concerns were valid, whether she should be reinstated and whether the officials who failed to take action earlier and those who decided to 'shoot the messenger' should be disciplined," said Bishop.

In an email to the ACFE, Andreasen expressed her feelings about the decision, "I am shocked to see how Prodi's Commission has allowed itself to be manipulated by the group of high officials -- the 'nomenklatura' as identified by the press -- who have for years managed funds without control and want to continue doing so. The same officials who judged me and proposed my dismissal!"

In light of the decision, Andreasen said she will continue to fight for her beliefs. "I will continue to fight against the structural fraud embedded in the European Commission's systems. I will also continue my efforts to be reinstated, initially by appealing internally to the new Barroso Commission."

Earlier this year the ACFE recognized Andreasen's commitment to putting truth before self by presenting her with its 2004 ACFE Cliff Robertson Corporate Sentinel Award. The award is presented to individuals who take great personal risk by expressing concerns about wrongdoing and then are harshly punished for doing so. The award is named after Hollywood actor Cliff Robertson, who was excluded from many jobs in the film industry after he took action against a producer for defrauding him.

"Today's decision to dismiss Marta reinforces the appropriateness of the ACFE choosing her as an honouree," said Bishop. "Executives at Enron and WorldCom treated whistleblowers Sherron Watkins and Cynthia Cooper improperly. The executives tried to get them to leave voluntarily rather than pursue their allegations of fraud. Now the executives are on trial for their crimes and may face long jail sentences." Bishops asks, "Shouldn't government officials be held equally accountable to the public, if not more so?"