The former Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of the EU, Federica Mogherini, is being investigated for a case of fraud with European funds, along with one of her executives and the deputy director of the “College of Europe” educational institution, but today all three were released, as they are not considered suspects of absconding.
The case is not directly linked to Mogherini’s term at the helm of the Commission’s diplomacy, from 2014 to 2019, but to positions she took up afterwards, first as rector of the College of Europe, then as director of the Diplomatic Academy of the EU.
At the center of the investigations are a nine-month training program for future diplomats and a series of contracts where – as reported – there was unfair competition, rules were violated in the process of submitting and evaluating bids. “The selection through the call for tenders dates back to 2021-2022 and the offenses charged are procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and breach of professional secrecy.
“Leaf and feather” offices and houses in Brussels and Bruges
As the investigation continues, it is difficult to assess the financial dimension of the scandal and whether this is the tip of the iceberg. At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and with the approval of the Belgian authorities, searches were carried out at offices and private residences in Brussels and Bruges, where the College of Europe is located.
It is noted that the 65-year-old Italian Stefano Sannino, who is also detained, is the director general of the Commission for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, while he has been the secretary general of the diplomatic service of the EU, when Mogherini was in command there. The former Foreign Minister of Italy was the High Representative for the Foreign Policy of the EU. from 2014 to 2019 (under the presidency of Jean-Claude Juncker) and handled critical issues such as the Ukrainian, relations with Russia, Iran’s nuclear, etc.
Scandals that caused a stir in Brussels
Three years have passed since another high-profile case in Brussels, known as Qatargate, starring Eva Kaili, one of the 14 vice-presidents of the European Parliament. Several people were arrested and interrogated – among them the partner of Eva Caili, Francesco Giorgi and the Italian former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri – while the names of other parliamentarians were implicated in the case, which, according to the prosecutor’s authorities, concerns the undue influence of foreign governments (Qatar, Morocco) on European officials, the formation of a gang, corruption and money laundering.
Kylie’s allegations about her involvement in Qatargate
The former MEP was remanded in custody for six months, including a period spent under house arrest, before being released on parole. Eva Kaili has taken legal action against the Belgian authorities, complaining, among other things, that she received threats, with a lever of pressure on her child. The case is not closed, the Belgian prosecutor’s office requested last March the lifting of the immunity of two more MEPs.
The “collapse” of the Commission in 1999
The worst scandal in the history of the European institutions is the one that brought down the entire European Commission, under the presidency of Luxembourg’s Jacques Santer, in March 1999, after the publication of a finding of wrongdoing and scandals, in which 10 of the 19 Commissioners were involved. The last straw concerned the socialist Edith Cresson, France’s first female prime minister (1991-1992), who was appointed Commissioner for Research, Science and Technology in 1995, but showed “negligence” in dealing with mistakes and irregularities, while hiring a personal friend as a special adviser, in violation of the prescribed procedures. Cresson was convicted of breach of duty by the European Court of Justice, but both the European authorities and the Belgian judiciary did not impose any penalties on her, beyond moral disapproval.
Strasser and the others
Another case that rocked Brussels, 14 years ago, featured Austrian right-wing People’s Party MEP Ernst Strasser, who was caught on hidden camera taking bribes to influence the legislative work of the European Parliament. In March 2011, as part of an investigation by the Sunday Times, journalists posing as “lobbyists” offered three MEPs, including Strasser, €100,000 a year to promote amendments that would serve their clients. The Austrian politician agreed with the lobbyists, although later in his trial he argued that he did so to penetrate the ring and neutralize it. He did not convince the Vienna court, which sentenced him, in 2013, to 4 years in prison, for bribery and undue influence.
