Ex-EU Vice-President Mogherini Held in Custody in Fraud Probe
Belgian police executed searches at the European External Action Service (EEAS) headquarters in Brussels, which Mogherini directed from 2014-2019, and the College of Europe in Bruges, where she has served as rector since 2020. Multiple private residences were also raided, media reported citing the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Authorities have confiscated documents and apprehended three individuals on suspicion of procurement fraud, corruption, and criminal conflict of interest, according to sources familiar with the case cited by Euractive. Belgian outlet L'Echo reported that Mogherini was among the detained.
High-ranking EU official Stefano Sannino, who functioned as secretary-general of the EEAS under Mogherini when the Diplomatic Academy was created and currently oversees the European Commission's department for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf, has also been placed in custody.
Another College of Europe employee from the executive education department was also detained, according to an unnamed person cited by Euractiv.
The investigation reportedly centers on the college's €3.2 million ($3.7 million) acquisition of a building on Spanjaardstraat in Bruges, in 2022, shortly before securing €654,000 in funding from the EEAS. Authorities suspect the institution may have had access to confidential information, undermining fair competition. No formal charges have been filed so far.
Investigators are reportedly examining whether the college or its representatives had prior knowledge of a public tender for the EU Diplomatic Academy, a training program for European diplomats in Bruges funded by the EEAS.
The College of Europe, established in 1949, is considered the EU's elite training ground for diplomats and civil servants, boasting alumni who have gone on to hold senior positions in European politics and institutions. The institution prepares university graduates from member states for possible EU careers.
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