Belgium has allegedly detained a former high-ranking EU official on suspicion of fraud

Belgium has allegedly detained a former high-ranking EU official on suspicion of fraud

Belgian authorities are said to have detained former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday, Euractiv reported.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said the probe involves a suspected fraud scheme connected to the training of European diplomats. Federal Police carried out searches at the College of Europe in Bruges and at the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels.

Investigators are looking into allegations that the College of Europe received advance notice of the selection criteria for a nine-month training project tender conducted in 2021–2022, before the EEAS officially published the notice.

“There are strong suspicions that, during the tendering process for the programme, confidential information related to the ongoing procurement was shared with one of the candidates participating in the tender,” the EPPO said.

The EPPO confirmed that three suspects were arrested but did not disclose their names. Local reports indicate that Mogherini, who served as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and head of the EEAS and has been director of the College of Europe since 2022, was detained along with one of the academy’s executives and Stefano Sannino, a senior EU official and former EEAS Secretary-General from 2021 to 2024.

The suspects are reportedly being held for questioning on suspicion of procurement fraud, corruption and criminal conflict of interest. Belgian police also seized documents during the operation. Further details of the investigation were not immediately released.