31The Court of First Instance recalled, in paragraph 86 of the contested judgment, that it has consistently been held that respect for the rights of the defence in any procedure initiated against a person which may culminate in an act adversely affecting him is a fundamental principle of Community law and must be observed even in the absence of an express provision to that effect in the rules governing the procedure in question (see, to that effect, Case T-169/95 Quijano v Commission [1997] ECRSC I-A-91 and II-273, paragraph 44, and Case T-211/98 F v Commission [2000] ECRSC I-A-107 and II-471, paragraph 28).
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