Belgian authorities have detained former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, along with former senior EU External Action Service (EEAS) official Stefano Sannino, as part of an investigation into fraud and violations of procurement rules, Politico reported, citing sources close to the matter.
According to these sources, Belgian police conducted raids on Tuesday at the European External Action Service, at the buildings of the College of Europe in Bruges, as well as at private residences. “The searches were carried out at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO),” the institution said in a statement, emphasizing that the suspected violations relate to “fair competition” rules in awarding the tender for the establishment of the EU Diplomatic Academy.
Sources within the EEAS confirmed that the raids took place in the institution’s administrative building on Rue d’Arlon 62, where “employees were asked to leave the premises and keep their offices open.” According to a senior EU official, the investigation concerns the period before Kaja Kallas assumed leadership of EU foreign policy.
European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper stated that police searched the EEAS as part of “an ongoing investigation into activities that occurred under the previous mandate,” but declined to provide details about those detained.
EPPO also announced that before launching the investigation, it had requested the lifting of diplomatic immunity for “several suspects,” a request that was approved. The investigating judge now has 48 hours to decide on the next steps.
