Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland called for an investigation by an independent inquiry body into allegations of corruption and wrong-doing made against members of the Parliamentary Assembly.

In his letter to PACE President Pedro Agramunt, Jagland said the matter should be dealt in swift and transparent matter.

He said that during the last meeting on March 9-10, Bureau could not reach a conclusion regarding the setting up of this investigation body, and the item will be on the agenda of the April 24 meeting.

Therefore, Secretary General urged Mr. Agramunt to use his authority “to expedite the decision to establish and independent external investigation body without any further delay”.

“The Parliamentary Assembly will soon elect a number of judges to the European Court of Human rights, as well as the Human Rights Commissioner. It is my duty to ensure that these elections take place in line with the highest ethical standards,” the letter reads.