Former EU foreign policy chief Mogherini among three arrested in Belgium fraud probe

# Former EU foreign policy chief Mogherini among three arrested in Belgium fraud probe

Belgian police have arrested three people, including former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, as part of a fraud investigation that also led to raids on the European External Action Service and the College of Europe.

The event date marked an extraordinary turn in a probe that touches some of the European Union’s most prominent institutions. According to The Guardian, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office said the detentions were made in connection with suspected fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats. The prosecutor’s office did not name the suspects in its initial statement, but the newspaper reported that Mogherini was among those held, citing judicial sources and a separate confirmation from a source familiar with the case.

The investigation also reportedly includes Stefano Sannino, the EU foreign service’s former secretary general and now a European Commission director general. Belgian media named him, and The Guardian said it understood he was among the three arrested. The College of Europe said it would cooperate fully with authorities and reaffirmed its commitment to integrity, fairness and compliance.

Police searched the Brussels headquarters of the EU foreign service in Brussels, as well as several College of Europe buildings in Bruges and the homes of the suspects. The EPPO said the searches were conducted at the request of the prosecutor’s office as part of an ongoing investigation into whether criminal offences occurred. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

At the center of the case is a tender for a training program for young diplomats. The prosecutor’s office said it had strong suspicions that fair competition rules may have been breached and that confidential information may have been shared with one of the candidates before the bidding process was officially launched. The College of Europe was awarded a contract to run the EU Diplomatic Academy in 2021-22 after a decision by the foreign service, according to the report.

Mogherini’s role makes the case especially striking. She led the EU foreign service from 2014 to 2019 and became rector of the College of Europe in 2020. The report noted that her appointment had been controversial among some alumni, who questioned her academic credentials and management experience. Whatever the eventual outcome, the arrest of such a high-profile former official places the probe in a new category of political sensitivity.

The European Commission said only that an investigation was underway into activities from the previous mandate and declined to answer further questions about the suspects. The College of Europe also said it would cooperate in the interest of transparency and respect for the investigative process.

The case is also significant because it is an unprecedented use of the EPPO’s authority, according to the report. Created in 2021 to tackle cross-border fraud involving EU money, the body can bring criminal cases in the 24 member states that have joined it. That means the investigation is not only about one tender, but about whether the EU’s own internal funding and procurement safeguards were properly respected.