In a surprising event, European police have questioned a very important former EU official. Federica Mogherini, who was the European Union's foreign policy leader for five years, was detained. This happened as part of a big investigation into fraud. The police are looking at claims that a training contract was given unfairly to a friend.
The operation took place on Tuesday. Police searched buildings in Brussels and at the College of Europe in Bruges. They also searched the homes of the suspects. Besides Ms. Mogherini, who is now the head of the College of Europe, two other senior officials were detained. All three were released on Wednesday morning without being charged, but the investigation continues.
The problem is about a contract from 2021-2022. The EU's foreign service gave a contract for a diplomat training program directly to the College of Europe. Prosecutors strongly suspect the competition for this contract was not fair. They think people at the college may have received secret information early, which gave them an advantage. The possible crimes include fraud, corruption, and conflict of interest.
This situation is very serious because it involves such high-level people. It makes people remember other EU corruption problems, like 'Qatargate'. It also happens at a time when people are already watching the EU's actions closely. A spokesperson for the College of Europe said they will not comment right now. This case will be a big test for the EU. It will show if the union can properly investigate its own powerful people.