Former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and one of Europe's most senior diplomats, Stefano Sannino, were detained after raids by Belgian police as part of an investigation into suspected fraud. According to sources familiar with the case, police detained three people and searched the European External Action Service (EEAS), the College of Europe and several private apartments. The operation was carried out at the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO).
Mogherini headed the EEAS, the EU's foreign policy department, until 2019. Since 2020, she has been rector of the College of Europe, an elite school that trains future European officials. Sannino, a former Italian diplomat, was for a long time the EEAS's most senior official and now heads the European Commission's department for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region.
According to sources, the third person detained is Cesare Zegretti, co-director of the executive education department at the College of Europe. The EPPO stated that the case was originally reported to OLAF and that the allegations relate to possible fraud in public procurement, corruption, conflict of interest and breach of professional secrecy. The investigation is ongoing and aims to determine whether criminal offences have been committed.
Belgian authorities focus on emergence European Diplomatic Academies, a programme for young EU diplomats, which Mogherini has been leading since 2022 and which is run by the College of Europe. According to the EPPO, there is „strong suspicion“ that the rules of fair competition were not followed when the contract was awarded and that the school may have known the details of the tender in advance.
According to one EEAS official, searches were carried out in the administrative building on Rue d'Arlon in Brussels. Staff had to leave their offices and leave them unlocked. The College of Europe management said in a statement that the institution was cooperating fully and insisted on high standards of integrity.
The detained individuals have not yet been charged. The investigating judge has 48 hours to decide on further proceedings. The European Commission declined to comment on the case, merely confirming that the raids relate to activities from the previous term of office – i.e. before Ursula von der Leyen's reappointment in 2024.
The EPPO also requested the lifting of diplomatic immunity for several suspects, without naming them.
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