Belgian police arrested a European Commission official last night as part of an investigation into alleged fraud in the European Union's grain trade, it has been confirmed.
The Commission said it had been told by the Belgian authorities that bribe-taking was suspected.
Belgian officials said that along with the Commission employee, from its agriculture department, another person was arrested in Belgium who was not part of the EU executive. Six people were detained in France, but not formally arrested.
The investigation is inquiring into allegations that two unnamed companies from France and Holland were notified of cereal prices two hours before they were available to the rest of the market.
The headquarters of the two grain firms, based in Rotterdam and Paris, as well as the Commission's agriculture commission, were also raided and documents and computer data were seized.
The public prosecutor's office said it was alerted to the suspected fraud in 2001 by the EU's anti-fraud unit OLAF, whose officials were also involved in the police operation.