ISTANBUL/BRUSSELS
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and former top diplomat Stefano Sannino are in custody after Belgian federal police launched raids on Tuesday targeting suspected fraud linked to the EU Diplomatic Academy, according to Belgian media reports.
Searches were conducted at the College of Europe in Bruges, the headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels, and the private residences of the suspects.
The operation was requested by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and supported by OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud office, Belgium's news agency Belga reported.
Authorities confirmed that three suspects were arrested after their legal immunity was lifted, but did not officially name them.
Other Belgian outlets VRT NWS and L’Echo reported that Mogherini, rector of the College of Europe and former EU High Representative, and Sannino, the EEAS’s former secretary-general, are among those detained.
EPPO said the investigation concerns whether confidential selection criteria for the EU Diplomatic Academy, a nine-month training programme for junior diplomats awarded to the College of Europe in 2021-2022, were improperly shared before the tender was officially published.
According to EPPO, investigators are examining indications that representatives of the College of Europe may have had advance access to sensitive information and reason to believe they would secure the contract, potentially breaching Article 169 of the EU Financial Regulation, which guarantees fair competition in procurement procedures.
The searches, carried out by Belgium’s Federal Police (FGP West-Flanders), were authorized by an investigating judge. EPPO said the probe could involve suspected procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and violation of professional secrecy.
The European Commission declined to comment on individual cases. A spokesperson said only that police were present at EEAS buildings “as part of an ongoing investigation into activities during the previous mandate,” adding that no further information could be provided while the probe continues.
EPPO stressed that all individuals involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty before the competent Belgian courts.