The former head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, was arrested in Belgium in a resounding investigation into suspicions of fraud, corruption and manipulation of public contracts within European institutions.
Two senior European officials are also concerned, while the affair shakes the European External Action Service and the College of Europe.
A high-level trio in the sights of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office
Federica Mogherini, former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, was arrested alongside Stefano Sannino – former Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and current Director General of DG MENA – as well as a senior administrative official from the College of Europe.
According to several Belgian media, their custody comes as part of an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office into suspicions of fraud in public procurement, corruption, violation of professional secrecy and conflict of interest.
Investigators carried out searches in Brussels, at the headquarters of the EEAS, at the College of Europe in Bruges, as well as in several private homes. Investigators are seeking to establish the existence of sharing of confidential information during a sensitive tender procedure.
The European diplomacy training program at the heart of suspicions
The investigation concerns a project funded by the European Union: the European Union Diplomatic Academy, a nine-month program intended to train young diplomats.
Awarded to the College of Europe after a call for tenders carried out between 2021 and 2022, this contract would have been tainted by irregularities, according to the strong suspicions raised by the EPPO.
Prosecutors are examining in particular whether internal data was transmitted to the College of Europe before the final selection. The stakes are high: to prove or not that European officials violated competition rules for the benefit of an institution massively financed by the EU itself.
Since 2020, Federica Mogherini has directed the College of Europe, a prestigious academic institution whose central role in European diplomatic training makes it a strategic player in the Union’s external relations.
An affair that shakes the European diplomatic apparatus
The scale of the affair and the rank of the personalities arrested created a shock within the European institutions. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office emphasizes the potential seriousness of the facts, recalling that any violation of competition rules weakens the credibility of the EU and the transparency of its public markets.
The rest of the investigation will have to determine whether the incriminated officials favored an institution in exchange for advantages or exercised undue influence on the procedure for awarding the diplomatic program.
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