Federica Mogherini, former head of European diplomacy, arrested for corruption

BarcelonaFederica Mogherini, former EU foreign policy chief and former vice-president of the European Commission, was arrested on Tuesday as part of an investigation into fraud involving the use of EU funds at the College of Europe in Bruges, where she serves as rector. Agents searched the European External Action Service (EEAS) offices in Brussels and several College of Europe buildings in Bruges, according to the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

According to the Belgian newspaper Le SoirIn addition to the former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, a director of the College of Europe and Stefano Sannino, the former Secretary-General of the EU External Action Service and current Director-General for the Middle East and North Africa at the European Commission, who had previously served as Italy's ambassador to Spain, have been detained for questioning. The investigation points to possible favoritism and unfair competition in the awarding by the External Action Service of a nine-month training program for future European diplomats, assigned to the prestigious College of Europe. The events under investigation date back to the 2021-2022 period. The European Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the offenses of "fraud in the awarding of public contracts, corruption, conflict of interest, and breach of professional secrecy." The College of Europe is a higher education institution where European civil servants study. Investigators wish to determine whether the institution or any of its representatives were informed in advance of the selection criteria during the bidding process for the training program run by the European diplomatic service. The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), operational since 2021, is an independent body tasked with combating fraud in EU finances, including corruption, money laundering, and cross-border VAT fraud. Unlike the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), it has the power to investigate and prosecute those responsible. Loss of immunity

The investigation is being co-led by an investigating judge in West Flanders, the province where Bruges is located. The searches were carried out by the Belgian federal police.

Before the police operation, the European Public Prosecutor's Office had requested the lifting of immunity for several suspects, a request that was granted, although their names and roles have not been made public.

An EU official has confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the diplomatic service in Brussels is one of the institutions being investigated for "activities from previous mandates" prior to the arrival of Kaja Kallas, who assumed the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs at the end of 2012. Kallas is the right-hand man of the new Commissioner for the Mediterranean, the Croatian Dubravka Šuica, a position created nine months ago and around which the new European Commission revolves. The Pact for the Mediterranean, responsible for EU policy in the region, was ratified last Friday in Barcelona. through the countries of the southern shore.