The former head of the European Union’s diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, was detained on Tuesday in Belgium, in an investigation related to a possible fraud with European funds, according to a source quoted by AFP.
Mogherini currently leads the College of Europe in Bruges, and the investigation is looking into how European money was used for a young diplomats training program. Two other people, including a senior official of the European Commission, were arrested in Brussels in the same case.
The investigation concerns the EU Diplomatic Academy, a nine-month program funded by the European Union and awarded to the College of Europe in the period 2021–2022. Prosecutors are checking whether the institution or its representatives received confidential information before the tender was launched and if they knew they would win the project.
There are suspicions that, during the selection procedure, the rules of fair competition were violated and that some secret information about the tender was offered to one of the candidates.
The EPPO requested and obtained the lifting of immunity of some suspects before the raids. The case concerns possible acts of fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and disclosure of confidential information. The investigation continues to determine whether offenses have been committed.
Three people were detained for questioning, being investigated for suspicions of procurement fraud, corruption and conflict of interest.