Raids were carried out on Tuesday in the European Union’s diplomatic service in Brussels (EEAS) and in several buildings of the College of Europe in Bruges, as part of an investigation into possible fraud in the use of EU funds, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office announced, and during the operation Federica Mogherini, former Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs, was arrested.
A total of three people were arrested, they stated. One of them is the rector of the College of Europe, Federica Mogherini. The former Vice-President of the European Commission is in custody, Le Soir has learned from a reliable source, confirming the information from L’Echo.
According to Belgian media, the other persons brought in for questioning are a manager of the College of Europe and the former Secretary-General of the EEAS (2021–2025), Italian diplomat Stefano Sanino.
Investigation of Favoritism and Corruption
The investigation focuses on suspicions of favoritism and possible unfair competition in the process by which the EEAS awarded the prestigious College of Europe a nine-month training program for future European diplomats.
The disputed actions date back to the period 2021–2022, and the potential violations listed by the prosecution include: “fraud in public procurement allocation, corruption, conflict of interest, and breach of professional secrecy.”
The College of Europe is a higher education institution that trains a large number of European officials. Investigators are trying to determine “whether the College of Europe or its representatives were informed in advance about the selection criteria” in the public call procedure launched by the EU diplomatic service for the training program.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), officially established in 2021, is an independent EU body responsible for combating fraud involving Union funds and other criminal offenses affecting its financial interests (corruption, money laundering, cross-border VAT fraud).
This supranational body has the authority not only to conduct investigations but also to prosecute and bring perpetrators of such acts to court — a power that the Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), for example, did not previously have.
Immunity Lifted
The investigation is being jointly conducted by an investigative judge in West Flanders, the Belgian province where Bruges is located, and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. The Belgian federal police carried out the raids.
Before the police operation, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the lifting of immunity for several suspects, which was approved, the statement said, without naming the individuals or their positions.
An EU official confirmed to AFP that the diplomatic service in Brussels was one of the targets of the police operation, which relates to “activities from previous mandates,” before Kaja Kallas assumed the position of High Representative for Foreign Affairs at the end of 2024.
The Belgian federal police from West Flanders and the EU Anti-Fraud Office, OLAF, participated in the operation within the criminal investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
Spokespersons for EPPO and OLAF declined to comment.
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Source: Nova.rs, Foto: europa.rs