Belgian police raided the EU diplomatic service in Brussels on Tuesday, along with the College of Europe in Bruges and private homes, as part of an investigation into suspected misuse of EU funds.
Federica Mogherini, the former EU high representative for foreign affairs and security, was among those arrested.
The raids took place across Belgium in the early hours of the morning, with police seizing documents and arresting three people. Those arrested were taken for questioning on suspicion of procurement fraud, corruption and conflict of interest.
Around 10 police officers entered the headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS) on Tuesday morning, an eyewitness said. Another EU official from the EU diplomatic service confirmed the raid.
The criminal investigation was launched after allegations that the EEAS and the College of Europe, a prestigious postgraduate school for training Eurocrats, misused EU public money in 2021 and 2022, according to four people familiar with the investigation.
The raids are the latest major scandal to hit EU institutions and will further increase pressure on the College of Europe and its rector, Federica Mogherini, who once headed the EEAS and began a second five-year term in Bruges this year.
Investigators are looking into whether the College of Europe or its representatives had prior knowledge of a public tender to fund the new EU Diplomatic Academy, an annual training program for European diplomats in Bruges funded by the EEAS.
The College of Europe, founded in 1949, is considered the EU’s top school for diplomats and civil servants, and its alumni include politicians and senior officials in the European institutions.
Investigators are focusing on the circumstances surrounding the purchase of the building on Spanjaardstraat in Bruges, which houses diplomats attending the academy, for 3.2 million euros, four people familiar with the investigation said.
The competition to host the academy required candidates to provide accommodation.
The College of Europe bought the building in 2022 during a period of financial difficulties and just before the EEAS launched a tender that later awarded the institution 654,000 euros in funding, two sources familiar with the investigation said.
The investigators have examined allegations that the College of Europe and its representatives had access to confidential information related to the tender, which was supposed to remain confidential to allow fair competition between institutions bidding to host the new academy.
