European Central Bank head accused of conflict

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BRUSSELS (AP) — A watchdog organization is accusing the head of the European Central Bank of conflict of interest for his membership of the "Group of Thirty," which it describes as a banking lobby group.

Corporate Europe Observatory, dedicated to exposing the power of corporate lobbying in the EU, says on its website that Mario Draghi's memberships in the group is at odds with the ECB's rules on ethics.

The Group of Thirty describes itself as a nonprofit body of representatives of the private and public sectors and academia aiming to deepen understanding of international economic issues.

Gundi Gadesmann, a spokeswoman for EU ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros, confirmed Tuesday that a complaint had been received. She said a letter had been sent to the ECB, which has until Oct. 31 to reply.