A Greek Coast Guard vessel prevents a migrant boat from entering Greece. Turkish Coast Guard vessels are seen in the background allegedly escorting the boat towards Greek waters. Credit: Greek Coast GuardEU border agency’s chief resigned last week following allegations that the agency was involved in migrant pushbacks from Greece’s borders.
The board of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex, said on Friday that it accepted the resignation of Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.
Last year, the EU’s anti-fraud watchdog, OLAF, opened an investigation into Frontex over allegations of harassment, misconduct, and migrant pushbacks.
Forcing would-be refugees away from a border—known as pushback—before they can reach a country and claim asylum is considered a violation of international refugee protection agreements, which hold that people should not be expelled or returned to a country where their life and safety might be endangered.
Frontex’s management board said Leggeri was given the opportunity to comment on the findings contained in the OLAF report at the start of a two-day extraordinary meeting on Thursday.
