The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that former EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and two other senior figures were released after questioning in an ongoing fraud investigation. The suspects, who were notified of allegations including procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and breach of professional secrecy, were not deemed flight risks and were freed following searches at the EU diplomatic service in Brussels, the College of Europe in Bruges and their private residences.
Mogherini, now director of the EU Diplomatic Academy and rector of the College of Europe, was questioned alongside a former EEAS secretary general and the school’s deputy director, as investigators probe whether tender criteria for an EU-funded diplomat training programme were improperly known in advance. EPPO stated that “there are strong suspicions” of rule breaches and leaked confidential information, though all involved remain presumed innocent as the inquiry continues.