Senior EU official convicted of rape continued to receive salary

BRUSSELS

A senior EU official from Estonia reportedly continues to get a monthly salary despite being found guilty of rape and dismissed from his duties, according to local media.

Margus Rahuoja, a director in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, was sentenced to four years in prison for rape in 2019. After filing an appeal, Rahuoja objected to the ruling while he remains free, reported The Brussels Times.

A later ruling increased the sentence from four years to six, taking into account additional aggravating circumstances, such as the victim being 20 years younger than Rahuoja and under his supervision, and the defendant's conduct. Finally, the criminal court in the city of Mons reheard the case and gave him a four-year suspended sentence.

Despite his repeated convictions for rape, Rahuoja allegedly continued to receive a €14,000 ($13,640) monthly salary since 2015.

Rahuoja was found guilty of raping his female colleague at a party on commission premises in 2015.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan​​​​​​​