The former EU foreign policy representative Federica Mogherini has been arrested in connection with an investigation into suspected misuse of EU funds. Mogherini is currently in Police custody the AFP news agency learned from investigative circles on Tuesday. The case involves funds from the elite College of Europe university in Bruges, which Mogherini now heads as rector.
The EU Foreign Service and one Elite university under the leadership of the former EU chief diplomat were targeted by corruption investigators. Belgian police searched the premises of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Brussels and an elite university in Bruges, three suspects were arrested, the Luxembourg-based European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said.
Before the searches Suspicion of fraud The immunity of several suspects was lifted. The authorities also searched apartments. According to the announcement, the EEAS commissioned the College of Europe, a private university in Bruges, to carry out a training program for young EU diplomats following a tendering process. The ongoing investigation is about whether the university or its representatives were informed in advance about the selection criteria or knew before the tender was published that they would be awarded the project, EPPO said.
Betrayal of secrets
There is a “strong suspicion” that confidential information passed on to an applicant. The Rector of the College of Europe is the former Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini. She was previously head of the EEAS. A spokeswoman for the EU Commission confirmed the searches. This concerns events from a previous mandate.
She did not answer further questions, such as whether EEAS employees were among those arrested, citing an ongoing investigation. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office also emphasized that the investigation was not completed and that it still needed to be clarified whether there were any criminal offenses. The EEAS could not initially be reached for comment.