The EU’s former foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has been accused of fraud as part of an EU investigation into the misuse of funds, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has said.
The EPPO said searches were carried out on Tuesday at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, headed by Ms Mogherini, as well as the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels – the office she ran for five years as the bloc’s top diplomat.
The investigation relates to EU-funded training for junior diplomats, the EPPO said.
As well as Ms Mogherini, a senior College of Europe staff member and a senior official from the European Commission were detained, the prosecutor’s office added.
According to the EPPO, the three were formally told of the allegations against them: “the accusations concern procurement fraud and corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy.”
The three accused were all subsequently released as they were not considered a flight risk and their homes were also searched.
After a reported 10 hours of questioning, Ms Mogherini issued a statement saying she had “clarified my position with the investigators”, adding that, “in its long tradition, the College has always applied and will continue to apply the highest standards of integrity and fairness”.
“I have full confidence in the justice system, and I trust that the correctness of the College’s actions will be ascertained. I will obviously continue to offer my full collaboration to the authorities,” she said.
Under Belgian law, a person can be arrested then released without being charged, while remaining a suspect.
The EPPO said the investigation focused on a tender that the EEAS awarded to the College of Europe in 2021-2022.
It added that there were “strong suspicions” of favouritism related to the tender for a nine-month training course for junior diplomats.
The EPPO, which investigates alleged crimes against the financial interests of the EU, did not name the three people questioned but said the immunity of several suspects had been lifted as part of the investigation.
The College of Europe is an independent school attended by aspiring EU civil servants. It is closely associated with and partly funded by the EU.
