On Tuesday, Belgian police conducted searches and detained Federica Mogherini, the former High Representative of the European Union, as part of an investigation into fraud, local media reports.
Mogherini became one of three detainees when Belgian authorities searched the offices of the European External Action Service (EEAS), as well as the College of Europe in Bruges and several private homes.
According to information published by the newspapers L’Echo and Le Soir, among those detained was also Stefano Sannino, who previously held the position of Secretary-General of the EEAS and is currently the Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General responsible for the Middle East and North Africa (DG MENA).
Reports indicate that the third detainee is a manager at the College of Europe.
A representative of the College of Europe confirmed that searches did indeed take place but declined to specify whether Mogherini was among those detained.
From 2014 to 2019, Mogherini headed the European External Action Service (EEAS), and since September 2020, she has served as the rector of the College of Europe—a well-known university funded by the European Union.
The European External Action Service confirmed that police were present at their headquarters in Brussels.
The searches resulted from a request from the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), which is investigating possible fraud related to an EU-funded project.
According to the EPPO, the investigation is focused on the EU's Diplomatic Academy—a nine-month program conducted by the College of Europe under an EU tender in 2021-2022.
Authorities are examining whether the tender rules were followed, particularly whether the European External Action Service (EEAS) violated conditions by providing the College with information before the grant was awarded.
"We confirm that the police were in the EEAS building," commented a service representative, adding that the investigation relates to actions that occurred during the previous mandate.
However, he did not comment on whether the detainees are EU officials. The arrests were made possible after their immunity was lifted, indicating the high rank of those detained.
According to a statement from the prosecutor's office, there are "serious suspicions" of violations of fair competition rules in the tender process, as well as the transfer of confidential information to one of the tender participants.
These circumstances may indicate procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and violation of professional secrecy, the European Prosecutor's Office added. "The investigation continues to clarify all details and assess the existence of criminal offenses," concluded the prosecutors' representatives.
Belgian police representatives declined to comment.
