Staff representatives at an EU body have appealed for outside help after accusing senior, executive officials of acting improperly to root out a mysterious anti-corruption whistleblower.

The European Economic and Social Committee, or EESC, has been rocked by the scandal that began in March when some 50 anonymous letters appeared on the desks of staffers accusing the body’s top secretary general of doling out public contracts to her friends.

Three trades union, penned a joint email last Thursday, first reported by Rapporteur, informing their colleagues they have launched an official complaint with the EU Ombudsman, Teresa Anjinho, over efforts by the body’s leadership to identify the person or persons behind the letters.

Séamus Boland, the EESC president, tasked two security offiicals with identifying what he called the “perpetrator” by carrying out a wide-ranging probe, including collecting forensic evidence, accessing IT equipment and conducting interviews.

In their email on Thursday, the trade unions said the legal basis used to investigate the source of anonymous letters alleging misconduct by the committee’s secretary general “has no statutory basis that we know of.”

“This combination – broad investigative powers with unclear legal grounding – is not acceptable,” they wrote, stating they informed the Ombudsman on May 26. The unions accused the EESC of focusing on identifying the source of the allegations rather than addressing their substance.

Boland and his team framed the extensive mandate given to the security team as part of efforts to transmit a full picture to OLAF, the EU’s in-house anti-fraud unit.

Cristiano Sebastiani, a representative of one of the three trades unions behind the complaint, said the episode showed how little trust EU civil servants have in their right to come forward and denounce wrongdoing in the institutions.

“They are convinced that, if they blow the whistle, they will face very serious consequences and retaliation for their careers and even for their health. Without any genuine and effective protection,” said Sebastiani, who represents the Renouveau & Démocratie union.

A spokeswoman for the Ombudsman, who has the task of investigating maladministration in the EU institutions, confirmed receipt of the official complaint. “We are now processing it and will then take a decision on whether it is admissible – this is the standard procedure for all complaints that we receive,” she wrote in a statement.

In an ironic twist, the EESC, a body that provides non-binding policy recommendations to the EU, is itself is preparing an evaluation of the European whistleblower protection directive.

Magnus Lund Nielsen contributed reporting