Federica Mogherini, the former High Representative of the EU and current Rector of the College of Europe, is one of the three people arrested as part of the investigation into corruption and fraud in procurement, as reported by the Belgian newspaper Le Soir citing sources close to the dossier. Shortly before, the website Euractiv had reported a raid by the Belgian police at the headquarters of the European External Action Service in Brussels and at the College of Europe in Bruges as part of an investigation into the alleged misuse of European funds. According to leaks, the raid also took place at several private homes. The operations began at dawn on Tuesday, and led to the seizure of documents and the arrest of three people accused of alleged fraud in procurement procedures, corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy. Among them, media reports say, is Ambassador Stefano Sannino, former Secretary General of the EEAS, former Italian Permanent Representative to the EU, and, from 1998 to 2001, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of International Trade under Ministers Piero Fassino and Enrico Letta. The identity of the third person arrested, an administrator at the College of Europe in Bruges, is not yet known.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) reports to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (a role currently held by Kaja Kallas ). The College of Europe is an independent postgraduate institute for European studies that has been headed since 2020 by the Italian, former Foreign Minister in the Renzi government, who was also the EU High Representative from 2014 to 2019. The investigation began following allegations that the EEAS and the College of Europe had misused EU public funds in 2021 and 2022, reports Euractiv, citing informed sources. At that time, the High Representative of the Union was the Spaniard Josep Borrell.
At the center is a tender to finance the new European Diplomatic Academy, an annual training program for diplomats funded by the EU Diplomatic Service and hosted in Bruges. Investigators are investigating whether the College of Europe or its representatives had prior access to confidential information about the tender. This is the latest major scandal affecting the European institutions. The file also focuses on the College's €3.2 million purchase of a building in Bruges in 2022, intended to house Academy participants, shortly before the EEAS launched a tender that was subsequently awarded to the College for €654,000 in funding. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) also took part in Tuesday's operation, coordinated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). This matter increases pressure on the College of Europe and its Rector, Federica Mogherini, who is now also the Director of the new Diplomatic Academy.
“There are strong suspicions that, during the tender procedure for the programme, Article 169 of the Financial Regulation on fair competition was violated and that confidential information relating to the ongoing procurement was shared with one of the candidates participating in the tender ,” the EPPO writes. The investigation is being conducted jointly by an investigating judge from West Flanders, the Belgian province where Bruges is located. Before the searches, the European Public Prosecutor's Office requested the waiver of the immunity of several suspects, which was granted.
"We can confirm that police were present at the EEAS premises today, and this is part of the ongoing investigation into activities carried out in the previous mandate. We cannot tell you anything else, as an investigation is ongoing," EU External Action Service spokesperson Anitta Hipper commented at the daily press briefing. However, she did not answer questions about the three detainees.
