Former EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini was one of the three people arrested by Belgian police on Tuesday, in a sprawling fraud investigation into the financing of a Bruges academy for young diplomats, two people with knowledge of the investigation told Euractiv and its partner De Standaard.
Euractiv, citing sources familiar with the investigation and witnesses, reports that Belgian police have raided the EU’s diplomatic service, the College of Europe, and private homes as part of a probe into alleged misuse of EU funds. Reportedly, around 10 officers dressed in civilian clothes entered the European External Action Service (EEAS) headquarters at 7:30 am on Tuesday, one eyewitness said. Another EU official from the EU’s diplomatic service confirmed the raid.
A spokesperson for the College, where Mogherini has been rector since 2020, said he did not know if she had been arrested and refused to comment further. Mogherini ran the European External Action Service (EEAS) from 2014 to 2019 and has been the director of the Academy since 2022.
And top EU official
Top European Commission official Stefano Sannino was also detained. Sannino was previously the EEAS secretary-general under Mogherini, during the period when the Diplomatic Academy was created. He is currently the director general of the Commission’s Middle East, North Africa and Gulf department.
The Commission confirmed that the police were present on Tuesday at the EEAS buildings, and this is part of the ongoing investigation into activities carried out during the previous mandate. It refused to provide further information, as an investigation is underway.
The criminal probe began after allegations that the EEAS, and the College of Europe – the prestigious post-graduate training school for Eurocrats – misused EU public money in 2021 and 2022, according to four people with knowledge of the investigation.
Source: Euractiv, De Standaard.