“Mogherini: from EU diplomatic symbol to alleged fraud,” the Belgian newspaper Vespers reported Monday, mogherini, the European Commission’s former High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy, has been arrested on suspicion of fraud in an eu-funded training programme for diplomats. The news sent shock waves through“European circles” in Brussels.
Mogherini, file photo, source: Visual China
The European prosecutor’s office confirmed the search and arrest. Belgian police raided the Brussels headquarters of the EU External Action Agency, located in Brussels, Belgium, the European Institute of several buildings and the residence of 3 suspects. Mogherini was taken away along with an unnamed staff member of the European Institute and Sannino, now a senior EU diplomat. The contract amount involved is about 650,000 euros. Three of those arrested have not yet been formally charged, and an examining magistrate now has 48 hours to decide whether to take further steps, a source told POLITICO Europe Tuesday.
Mogherini was Euronews EU foreign minister and director-general of the EU’s External Action Agency from 2014 to 2019, the ministry said Tuesday. Since September 2020, she has been Director of the European Institute, the European Union’s educational institution and a leading think tank, where many EU officials have studied. Sannino, a former Italian diplomat, is the head of the European Commission’s Middle East, North Africa and Gulf Region Department and a former secretary-general of the EU’s external action agency.
The European prosecutor’s Office’s statement said the investigation was focused on a programme called the EU diplomatic academy, a first nine-month“Pilot programme” for young EU diplomats. In 2021-2022, the European Institute was selected by the European external action agency after an open tender. The investigation is aimed at determining whether EEA breached bidding rules by sharing information with the European Academy prior to the formal award of the project.
The statement also said there was a“Strong suspicion” that there had been a breach of fair competition in the bidding process for the project and that“The circumstances uncovered by the investigation may amount to procurement fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and a breach of professional confidentiality obligations.”. The investigation is still ongoing to establish the facts and to assess whether any criminal offence has been committed.
Mogherini’s arrest is a fresh blow to the EU’s already fragile credibility, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo said Wednesday. Aubry, a member of the far-left unyielding France party, called urgently for“A more courageous moral authority to stop corruption at its source, rather than waiting for the next scandal”.