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Belgian police raid EU offices in Brussels and the College of Europe in Bruges, arresting 3 senior officials, including diplomat Federica Mogherini
2025-12-02 13:30:48 / BOTA
Belgian police raided EU diplomatic offices in Brussels and the College of Europe in Bruges as part of an investigation into suspected fraud related to the financing of low-level officials, the bloc's prosecutors said.
The raids took place this morning and resulted in the detention of three suspects. They were prompted by “strong suspicions” of fraud in a 2021-2022 decision by the European External Action Service (EEAS) to award the European Union Diplomatic Academy to the College.
Former Italian diplomat Federica Mogherini, who previously headed the EEAS, became rector of the college in September 2020 and director of the diplomatic academy in August 2022.
The checks by Belgian police took place at the EEAS in the heart of the EU quarter in Brussels, in several buildings of the College of Europe and at the suspects' homes, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said in a statement. The investigation was supported by the European Anti-Fraud Office, it added.
" Prior to the checks, the EPPO requested the lifting of the immunity of some suspects, which was granted," the prosecutor's office said.
A commission spokesman confirmed the police raid on the EEAS headquarters, but declined to comment when asked whether any commission staff had been arrested.
" The raid was part of the ongoing investigation into activities that took place during the previous mandate from 2019-2024 under Spanish diplomat Josep Borrell," the spokesman said.
The EEAS is now led by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
The College of Europe did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Belgian police declined to comment on the case.
The EPPO said the investigation, which was first reported by EurActiv, focuses on whether the college or its representatives were informed in advance of the EEAS tender to establish the diplomatic academy before its official publication.
“ There are strong suspicions that, during the tendering process for the programme, Article 169 of the Financial Regulation concerning fair competition was violated. This confidential information regarding the ongoing procurement was shared with one of the candidates participating in the tender ,” the EPPO said.
The EPPO also said that the facts under investigation “ may constitute procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and breach of professional secrecy. The investigation is ongoing to clarify the facts and to assess whether any criminal offences have occurred.”
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