EU’s Mogherini and Sannino in custody in fraud probe

 

EU’s Mogherini and Sannino in custody in fraud probe

 

European prosecutor says it has “strong suspicions” competition rules were breached in awarding contract to run training academy for diplomats.

 

December 2, 2025 11:55 am CET

By Zoya Sheftalovich, Seb Starcevic, Nicholas Vinocur, Gerardo Fortuna and Zia Weise

https://www.politico.eu/article/belgian-cops-raid-eu-foreign-service-in-fraud-probe/

 

BRUSSELS ― Former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and one of the bloc’s most senior diplomats, Stefano Sannino, are in custody after Belgian police launched raids as part of a fraud probe on Tuesday, according to officials familiar with the case.

 

The police detained three suspects and searched the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the College of Europe over alleged corruption in the establishment of a training academy for diplomats.

 

The searches — conducted at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and approved by the Belgian police — took place at the EEAS in Brussels, in buildings of the College of Europe in Bruges and at private homes, according to an EPPO statement.

 

The EEAS is the EU’s foreign policy wing and was until 2019 headed by the former European Commission Vice President Mogherini. She has been rector of the College of Europe, a training ground for future EU officials, since 2020.

 

Sannino, a former Italian diplomat, was the top civil servant in the EEAS and is currently director general for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf department in the Commission.

 

The third person in custody in relation to the probe is Cesare Zegretti, the co-director of the College of Europe’s executive education, training and projects office, according to a person familiar with the details of the case.

 

“The facts under investigation were first reported to OLAF,” the European Anti-Fraud Office, the EPPO said in a statement. “They could constitute procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy. The investigation is ongoing to clarify the facts and assess whether any criminal offences have occurred.”

 

The three detainees have not been charged and an investigative judge now has 48 hours to decide on further action, a separate person familiar with the probe said. The European Commission declined to comment.

 

Belgian authorities are investigating the European Union Diplomatic Academy, a program for junior diplomats across EU countries that is run by the College of Europe and of which Mogherini has been director since August 2022. The raids were first reported by Euractiv.

 

The College of Europe confirmed the searches at the Bruges campus in a statement Tuesday evening, adding that it “remains committed to the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and compliance — both in academic and administrative matters.”

 

Vacating premises

The EPPO said it has “strong suspicions” that rules around “fair competition” were breached when the EEAS awarded the tender to set up the diplomatic academy at the College of Europe. The probe is focusing on whether the college was tipped off about the selection criteria of the tender procedure before the official notice was published.

 

An EEAS official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, said the searches took place at its Brussels administrative office building at Rue d’Arlon 62, not the main building at the Schuman roundabout. Employees were asked to vacate the premises and leave their office doors and furniture unlocked.

 

A senior EU official told POLITICO the raids are linked to an investigation that began before Kaja Kallas took office at the head of the bloc’s foreign policy arm.

 

European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper confirmed that police had raided the EEAS on Tuesday as part of an “ongoing investigation of the activities that took place … in the previous mandate,” which means before Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was reappointed in December 2024.

 

Asked for further details during the Commission’s midday briefing, spokespeople refused to comment on whether any of the institution’s staffers had been detained, or provide further information about the investigation.

 

The EPPO said it had requested that authorities lift the immunity ― typically given to diplomats, protecting them from legal action ― of “several suspects” prior to the probe, and that this was granted. It did not specify which bodies it had made the requests to.

 

This story has been updated.