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Mogherini's arrest, Belgian media provides details: Suspicions of corruption and conflict of interest, the prosecution has lifted their immunity
2025-12-02 14:46:50 / BOTA
Searches were carried out on Tuesday at the European Union Diplomatic Service in Brussels (EEAS) and several buildings of the College of Europe in Bruges, as part of an investigation into possible fraud in the use of EU funds, the European Public Prosecutor's Office announced.
In total, three people have been arrested, she added. One of them is the director of the College of Europe, Federica Mogherini. The former vice-president of the European Commission is currently in detention, Le Soir learned from a reliable source, confirming information from L'Echo.
The investigation concerns allegations of favoritism and unfair competition in the EEAS's awarding of a nine-month training program for future European diplomats, a program awarded to the prestigious College of Europe.
The suspected events belong to the period 2021-2022, and the possible violations are: "fraud in the award of public procurement, corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy", according to the European prosecutor's office.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) building houses the European Union's diplomatic service in Brussels.
The College of Europe, a higher education institution that trains many European civil servants, is being investigated to determine “whether the College of Europe or its representatives had prior knowledge of the selection criteria,” in the context of a tender procedure opened by the EU diplomatic service for a training program.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO, according to its English acronym), officially established in 2021, is an independent EU body tasked with combating fraud with Union funds and any other offence affecting its financial interests (corruption, money laundering, cross-border VAT fraud).
This supranational institution is responsible not only for investigating, but also for prosecuting and trying the perpetrators of these violations, a previously unclear power that, for example, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) did not have.
The investigation is being co-led by an investigating judge from West Flanders, the Belgian province where Bruges is located. It is the Belgian federal police that carried out the checks.
Prior to this police operation, the European Prosecutor's Office had requested the lifting of immunity for several suspects, and this was granted, the prosecutor's office also highlighted, without giving names or positions.
An EU official confirmed to AFP that the diplomatic service in Brussels was one of the targets of the police operation, for "activities dating back to previous mandates", before Kaja Kallas takes office as High Representative for Foreign Affairs at the end of 2024./LE SOIR
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