During Tuesday’s raids on the premises of the Brussels headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the University College of Europe in the Belgian city of Bruges, the rector of this university and the former high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, were detained. Referring to an unnamed source, the AFP reported about it. According to a statement by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the raids were carried out as part of an investigation into suspected fraud related to the training of young diplomats funded by the EU, writes TASR.
- Belgian authorities raided the headquarters of the EEAS and the College of Europe.
- Rector Mogherini was detained, she is suspected of fraud.
- The investigation includes suspicions of corruption and conflict of interest.
- The aim is to clarify the circumstances of the academy’s public procurement.
Mogherini is currently the rector of the university
The subject of the investigation is the EU Diplomatic Academy project, which was launched as a pilot program in 2022 and officially established in May last year. It is a nine-month educational program for budding diplomats from EU member states, which the EEAS awarded to the College of Europe for the period of 2021 and 2022 after a public tender.
In the morning, the Belgian authorities detained a total of three people, including Mogherini, who led EU diplomacy from 2014 to 2019. This former Italian foreign minister became rector of the university in 2020, and two years later she took over the leadership of the diplomatic academy launched at that time. During the period assessed by the investigators, the EEAS was headed by Spaniard Josep Borrell.
More detained
According to Le Soir, the other detained persons are the manager of the College of Europe, as well as the former Secretary General of the EEAS and the Italian diplomat Stefano Sannino.
According to Politico magazine, a spokeswoman for the European Commission confirmed that the EEAS headquarters were raided as part of an ongoing investigation into activities that took place during the previous term of office of the EU executive. Authorities also searched the suspects’ homes.
The aim of the EPPO is to establish whether the Belgian university or its representatives were informed in advance of the selection criteria of the public tender and whether they had sufficient reason to believe that they would be awarded the implementation of the academy project, before the official publication of the notice of the launch of the tender by the EEAS.
The circumstances of the purchase of the building for 3.2 million euros
The Euractiv portal, citing four unnamed sources, reported that the investigation focuses on the circumstances surrounding the purchase of a building on Spanjaardstraat in Bruges for 3.2 million euros, which houses diplomats visiting the academy.
The building was purchased by the College of Europe during a period of financial difficulties in 2022 and shortly before the EEAS announced a public tender, in which the university was later awarded financial support of 654,000 euros, two sources said, according to the portal. The competition required those interested in organizing the academy to provide accommodation for its applicants.
The investigation continues
Euractiv noted that no one has yet been officially charged in the case and there is no indication that the EPPO or the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which has informed the prosecution of its findings and interviewed several individuals beforehand, has concluded that there was wrongdoing.
“The investigation is continuing in order to clarify the facts and assess whether a crime has been committed,” the prosecutor’s office said earlier, which requested the waiver of immunity of several suspects before conducting the searches, which was approved. According to her, the investigation could reveal fraud in public procurement, corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy.
