Former European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and two other senior officials have been formally accused of procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and violation of professional secrecy, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced Wednesday.
The three were detained on Tuesday in connection with an ongoing EU fraud investigation but have since been released. EPPO noted that none of the suspects were considered a flight risk.
The other two individuals include a senior staff member at the College of Europe in Bruges and a senior European Commission official. Sources told Reuters that they identified one of the detainees as Stefano Sannino, a senior EU diplomat. Neither Mogherini nor Sannino were available for comment.
“All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent Belgian courts of law,” EPPO emphasized.
The arrests followed coordinated raids at the EU’s diplomatic service in Brussels, the College of Europe, and the homes of the suspects. The investigation focuses on alleged fraud linked to EU-funded training programs for junior diplomats.
Mogherini served as the EU’s high representative for foreign and security policy from 2014 to 2019, overseeing the bloc’s diplomatic service. In 2020, she became rector of the College of Europe. Both Mogherini and Sannino, Italian nationals, are prominent figures in Brussels diplomatic circles, and news of their detentions has sent shockwaves through the EU community.
By: N. Peter Kramer