The EU's former foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was taken into custody on Tuesday as police investigating a suspected fraud scheme involving the training of European diplomats carried out a series of raids.
Ms Mogherini, EU high representative for foreign affairs from 2014 to 2019, now leads the College of Europe graduate school, the premises of which were searched along with the offices of the EU's diplomatic service, the European External Action Service (EEAS).
A source close to the matter said the Italian, 52, was arrested in Brussels along with the training school's deputy head, and Stefano Sannino, a senior EU official who was EEAS secretary general from 2021 to 2024.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced searches were conducted at the college in the Belgian city of Bruges, and at the EEAS premises in Brussels.
Three suspects were detained in connection with the raids, as "part of a probe into suspected fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats", prosecutors said.
The homes of suspects were also searched by Belgian federal police, prosecutors said.
At the heart of the case is a nine-month training programme for junior diplomats across EU states, known as the European Union Diplomatic Academy. The programme was awarded by the EEAS to the College of Europe in Belgium in 2021 and the inquiry is focused on whether the tender process was skewed to favour the school.
Ms Mogherini is the head of both the College of Europe and of the EU Diplomatic Academy.
"There are strong suspicions that ... confidential information related to the ongoing procurement was shared with one of the candidates participating in the tender," prosecutors said.
'Clarify the facts'
The European Commission released a statement through spokeswoman Anitta Hipper, who said: "We can confirm that the police were today at the EEAS buildings, and this is part of the ongoing investigation of the activities that took place before in the previous mandate.
The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, took over the post a year ago from Mogherini's successor, Josep Borrell.
The lifting of immunity of several suspects before the searches was requested. If confirmed, the allegations "could constitute procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy", the prosecutor's office said.
"The investigation is ongoing to clarify the facts and assess whether any criminal offences have occurred," it added.
The inquiry is supported by the European Anti-Fraud Office, to which the accusations were first reported.
