EU Officials Mogherini, Sannino Detained in Fraud Probe

Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and senior European Commission official Stefano Sannino were detained Tuesday in Belgium as part of an investigation into suspected fraud involving an EU-funded diplomatic training program, according to the European Public Prosecutor's Office. The two, along with a senior staff member from the College of Europe, were released later that day after questioning, as authorities determined they posed no flight risk.

The detentions followed coordinated raids by Belgian federal police on the European External Action Service headquarters in Brussels, the College of Europe campus in Bruges, and the private residences of the suspects. The European Public Prosecutor's Office, known as the EPPO, confirmed the operation targeted irregularities in a procurement process for the European Union Diplomatic Academy, a nine-month training initiative for junior diplomats from EU member states. The academy, with an initial two-year budget of nearly 2 million euros, was awarded to the College of Europe in 2021 and 2022.

Prosecutors suspect that confidential information about the tender was shared improperly, potentially skewing the...