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Former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini The European Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday that he was among three people formally charged with procurement fraud and corruption, conflict of interest and breach of professional confidentiality.
The EPPO said the three men were detained on Tuesday as part of an EU fraud investigation and have now been released pending the investigation.
According to the EPPO, the investigation concerns suspected fraud relating to EU-funded training for junior diplomats.
“Yesterday I clarified my position with investigators acting on behalf of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, regarding the process of establishing an EU Diplomatic Academy,” Mogherini said in a statement.
“I have full confidence in the justice system…I will obviously continue to provide my full cooperation to the authorities.”
The EPPO referred to the other two suspects as a senior staff member of the College of Europe in Bruges and a senior official of the European Commission.
Three sources said one of those detained was senior EU diplomat Stefano Sannino.
Sannino could not be reached for comment.
The EPPO also said, “All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent Belgian courts.”
The arrests followed raids on the EU diplomatic service in Brussels, the College of Europe – an elite university in Bruges that educates many EU officials – and the suspects’ homes.
Mogherini was the EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and head of its diplomatic service from 2014 to 2019. She became Rector of the College of Europe in 2020.
Mogherini and Sannino, both Italian citizens, are well known in Brussels diplomatic circles, and news of their detention shocked the EU community.
In a letter sent to EU diplomatic service staff on Wednesday and seen by Reuters, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, “The allegations are extremely shocking but should in no way tarnish the good work that most of you are doing every day”.
“Please be assured that we are cooperating fully with the investigation and providing full transparency,” she said, “I would like to reiterate my confidence in the authorities that due process is followed and the presumption of innocence is maintained.”