In a dramatic escalation of a high-level investigation, three individuals, including a former European Union foreign policy chief, were arrested and detained on Tuesday in connection with a fraud probe centered on a multi-million-euro training contract. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), coordinating with Belgian authorities, carried out simultaneous searches at the European External Action Service (EEAS) headquarters in Brussels and the prestigious College of Europe campus in Bruges. All three were released from custody on Wednesday morning as the inquiry continues.
The investigation, which has sent shockwaves through the EU’s diplomatic and institutional circles, focuses on the awarding of a lucrative contract for the EU Diplomatic Academy. This nine-month program, designed to train future European diplomats, was granted to the College of Europe. Prosecutors are scrutinizing the tender process conducted between 2021 and 2022 for evidence of preferential treatment and corruption. Central to their probe is whether insiders at the academic institution received confidential information regarding selection criteria, potentially rigging the bidding process in its favor.
Those implicated are prominent figures within European foreign policy and academia. Federica Mogherini, who served as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs until 2019 and currently holds the positions of Rector of the College of Europe and Director of the EU Diplomatic Academy, was among those detained. Also arrested was Stefano Sannino, a senior EEAS official currently serving as Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf region, and a former Secretary-General of the diplomatic service. A third, unnamed senior official from the College of Europe was also taken into custody.
The operational scale of the investigation was significant. EPPO investigators, acting on what they termed "strong suspicions," conducted coordinated raids not only at the institutional offices but also at the private residences of the officials. A witness to the search of an EEAS office described a scene of intense scrutiny, noting that officers “literally turned the office of Sannino’s former colleague upside down.” The College of Europe, in a brief statement, declined to elaborate, saying, “The College of Europe will not comment at this stage.”
This case strikes at the heart of the EU’s diplomatic infrastructure and revives uncomfortable memories of past corruption scandals that have plagued the bloc. It raises acute questions about oversight, transparency, and the integrity of internal procurement processes within the EU’s most sensitive institutions. The fact that the investigation remains active and could potentially widen adds to the gravity of the situation.
The timing is politically delicate for EU institutions, which are navigating a complex geopolitical landscape. The spectacle of top figures associated with the union’s foreign policy arm being implicated in a fraud case undermines public trust and provides fodder for critics of Brussels bureaucracy. As the EPPO continues its work, the episode serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges the EU faces in policing its own systems and maintaining the highest ethical standards it publicly champions.