Former head of European diplomacy Mogherini detained in Belgium in connection with EU funds fraud case
On December 2, former head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini was detained in Brussels and Bruges following searches as part of an investigation into the possible misuse of EU funds.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Belgian publication Le Soir.
Along with Mogherini, two other individuals are involved in the case: the manager of the College of Europe and former Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, Italian diplomat Stefano Sannino.
Suspicions
The investigation concerns allegations of favoritism and unfair competition during a nine-month training program for future European diplomats at the College of Europe. The alleged actions date back to 2021-2022, and possible offenses include fraud in the conclusion of contracts, corruption, conflict of interest, and disclosure of official secrets.
Investigation
The College of Europe, where Mogherini is currently rector, trains a significant number of European officials. Investigators are trying to determine whether representatives of the institution were informed in advance about the selection criteria in the tender procedure announced by the EU diplomatic service.
In order to conduct the investigation, the European Public Prosecutor's Office requested that the suspects' immunity be lifted, which was granted. Police searches affected the activities of the EU diplomatic service in Brussels, the College of Europe in Bruges, and private residences.
It should be noted that Hungarian intelligence services had their spies in Brussels and even attempted to recruit employees of EU institutions.
