The “highest ranking candidate” for a vacancy at the European Asylum Support Office has been cleared of accusations that he presented a forged certificate related to his job as ICT coordinator.

Igor Biskupic held an IT managerial post when he applied for the vacancy advertised by EASO in June 2013. 

He was awarded the job after satisfying all requirements related to formal qualifications and professional experience.

A senior policy officer at EASO, who was a member of the selection panel, later testified that Biskupic was “the highest ranking candidate” and a “cut above the rest,” performing “very well” at the interview.

He was selected for the post by “unanimous agreement” among the panel members. 

He commenced employment in November 2013 and throughout his time at EASO “improved [the office’s] ICT capabilities.” 

Then one day in February 2014, he was summoned to the office of the Head of Administration and Human Resources where he felt “a general sense of panic” in view of an upcoming audit. 

His superiors had just discovered there was something missing in his employment records. 

So they asked him to present all personal certificates and documents related to his work experience. 

Out of all those documents, they chose one and added it to his personal file. 

That document was a certificate issued by a printing company in his homeland, operated by his sister-in-law and her husband, where he had received training in 1988 and 1989. 

An investigation by the European Court of Auditors, followed by a probe by the European anti-fraud office OLAF into the recruitment process of the ICT coordinator at EASO, raised doubts over that document. 

Former superintendent Raymond Aquilina testified that he had received an OLAF report through the Attorney General’s Office, recommending criminal action against Biskupic.

The EASO official was charged with making a false declaration in the document presented to a public authority to gain a personal advantage and of document forgery. 

Biskupic protested his innocence. 

During the proceedings, the court heard that OLAF had checked with the home affairs and infrastructure ministries in Croatia to confirm the authenticity of that certificate. 

Doubts surfaced because the company was not yet incorporated when the document was issued. 

When interrogated by OLAF, Biskupic insisted that he had trained at Grafoprint “back in those days” but could not recall who had issued and signed the document.

It turned out that the document had been prepared by the accused’s sister-in-law who testified to that effect. 

But it was created as an “unofficial” document and she never had any idea of it being retained and used as a valid document. 

Biskupic insisted he simply requested some form of confirmation that he had attended training but he never asked for any formal certificate. 

When delivering judgment the court, presided over by magistrate Kevan Azzopardi, concluded the defendant did not present the document with the alleged false application when applying for the job. 

It was added at a later stage when an audit was in the offing. 

Nor did the prosecution prove he was a public officer. 

As for the second charge, the court said that it was time-barred. 

The court pronounced an acquittal. 

Lawyers Joe Giglio and Michaela Giglio were defence counsel.