LUXEMBOURG — The European Union’s former chief diplomat, Federica Mogherini, has been formally implicated in a significant corruption investigation alongside two senior officials, according to an announcement from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) on Wednesday.
Authorities detained Mogherini, who served as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2019 and currently heads the College of Europe, along with a senior staff member from the prestigious institution and a high-ranking European Commission official. The arrests followed coordinated raids conducted by Belgian federal police on Tuesday targeting multiple locations, including the EU diplomatic service headquarters in Brussels and the College of Europe campus in Bruges.
The EPPO’s investigation centers on allegations of procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and breaches of professional secrecy related to a training program contract. After extensive questioning by Belgian judicial authorities, all three individuals were formally notified of the accusations against them before being released, as investigators determined they did not present a flight risk.
According to the EPPO statement, the probe focuses on “strong suspicions” regarding fraudulent practices in the awarding of a tender for operating a specialized training program at the EU Diplomatic Academy during the 2021-2022 academic year. The training initiative was designed for junior diplomats within the European External Action Service (EEAS), which was under the leadership of Josep Borrell, the current EU foreign policy chief, during the period in question.
The investigation represents one of the most significant corruption cases involving former high-level EU officials in recent years, potentially undermining public confidence in the bloc’s institutional integrity.