Ex-EU top diplomat Mogherini detained in Belgium fraud case: Reports

Mogherini is reported to beryllium among 3 successful custody for suspected fraud involving an EU-funded grooming programme.

The European Union’s erstwhile apical diplomat has been detained arsenic portion of an anti-fraud probe relating to a diplomatic grooming programme, according to Belgian media reports.

Federica Mogherini, who served arsenic EU overseas argumentation main from 2014 to 2019 and present leads the College of Europe postgraduate schoolhouse that teaches a grooming programme for inferior EU diplomats, was taken into custody by Belgian constabulary successful Brussels connected Tuesday, reported Belgian broadcaster VRT, the quality bureau Belga, and the quality tract Euractiv.

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The apprehension came amid constabulary raids astatine the College of Europe’s field successful Bruges, Belgium, and the Brussels premises of the European External Action Service – the EU’s diplomatic wing.

European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced the searches and said 3 suspects, which it did not name, were taken into custody. It said the probe progressive “suspected fraud related to EU-funded grooming for inferior diplomats”.

Stefano Sannino, a elder EU authoritative who was EEAS secretary-general from 2021 to 2024, was besides among those detained, Agence France-Presse and Belgian media report.

Conducted by Belgian national constabulary astatine the EPPO’s request, the searches besides targeted the houses of suspects, prosecutors said.

At issue, according to the EPPO, is simply a nine-month grooming programme for inferior diplomats crossed EU states, known arsenic the European Union Diplomatic Academy.

The programme was awarded by the EEAS to the College of Europe successful Belgium successful the play 2021-2022, and the probe focuses connected whether the tender process was skewed to favour the school.

Mogherini is the caput of some the College of Europe and of the EU Diplomatic Academy.

“There are beardown suspicions that … confidential accusation related to the ongoing procurement was shared with 1 of the candidates participating successful the tender,” said the EPPO statement.

‘Conflict of interest’

The European Commission confirmed the raids and said determination was an “ongoing investigation”.

“We tin corroborate that the constabulary was contiguous astatine the EEAS buildings, and this is portion of the ongoing probe of the activities that took spot earlier successful the erstwhile mandate,” said a committee spokesperson Anitta Hipper.

The EU’s existent apical diplomat, High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, took implicit the station a twelvemonth agone from Mogherini’s successor, Josep Borrell.

The EPPO said it had requested and obtained the lifting of immunity of respective suspects anterior to the searches.

If confirmed, the allegations “could represent procurement fraud, corruption, struggle of involvement and usurpation of nonrecreational secrecy”, the prosecutor’s bureau said.

“The probe is ongoing to clarify the facts and measure whether immoderate transgression offences person occurred,” it added.

The EPPO is the autarkic nationalist prosecution bureau of the EU, liable for investigating crimes against the bloc’s fiscal interests.

The probe is besides supported by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), to which the accusations were archetypal reported.