The EU's former foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was taken into custody Tuesday as police staged raids probing suspected fraud over contracts to train future European diplomats.
Mogherini, who was high representative for foreign affairs from 2014 to 2019, now leads the College of Europe graduate school whose premises were searched along with the offices of the EEAS diplomatic service.
The 52-year-old Italian was arrested in Brussels along with the training school's deputy head, and Stefano Sannino, a senior EU official who was EEAS secretary general from 2021 to 2024, according to a source close to the matter.
They can be held in custody for up to 48 hours, before a potential appearance before a magistrate.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said searches were staged at the College of Europe, in the Belgian city of Bruges, and at the Brussels premises of the European External Action Service -- the EU's diplomatic wing.
"Three suspects" were detained as "part of a probe into suspected fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats", said an EPPO statement.
The contract involved was worth some 650,000 euros ($750,000), according to a European source.
Carried out by Belgian federal police at the EPPO's request, the searches also targeted the houses of suspects, prosecutors said.
At issue, according to the EPPO, is a nine-month training programme for junior diplomats across EU states, known as the European Union Diplomatic Academy.
The programme was awarded by the EEAS to the College of Europe in Belgium in the period 2021-2022, and the probe focuses on whether the tender process was skewed to favour the school.
Mogherini has headed the College of Europe since 2020, and in 2022 also took the helm of the EU Diplomatic Academy.
"There are strong suspicions that... confidential information related to the ongoing procurement was shared with one of the candidates participating in the tender," said the EPPO statement.
The College of Europe confirmed searches had been conducted at its Bruges campus and vowed to "fully cooperate with the authorities in the interest of transparency and respect for the investigative process."
"The College remains committed to the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and compliance -- both in academic and administrative matters," it added in a statement.
The European Commission likewise confirmed the raids at the EEAS buildings.
"This is part of the ongoing investigation of the activities that took place before in the previous mandate," said a commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper.
The current EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, took over the post a year ago from Mogherini's successor, Josep Borrell.
As the EU's top diplomat, Mogherini notably helped steer sensitive negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.
The EPPO said it had requested and obtained the lifting of immunity for several suspects prior to the searches.
If confirmed, the allegations "could constitute procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy", the prosecutor's office said.
"The investigation is ongoing to clarify the facts and assess whether any criminal offences have occurred," it added.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the EU, responsible for investigating crimes against the bloc's financial interests.
The probe is also supported by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), to which the accusations were first reported.
