Corruption scandal engulfs former EU foreign chief notorious for appeasing Arab regimes and pressuring Israel.
Former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini—long viewed in Israel as one of Europe’s most pro-Palestinian, Arab-aligned diplomats—was taken into custody Tuesday as Belgian police launched sweeping raids in Brussels and Bruges over suspected fraud involving EU-funded diplomatic training contracts, AFP reported.
Mogherini, who served as High Representative for Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2019 and repeatedly pushed positions seen as hostile to Israel, now heads the elite College of Europe graduate school. Both the school’s facilities and offices of the European External Action Service (EEAS) were searched as part of the escalating probe.
According to sources, Mogherini was arrested alongside the College’s deputy head and Stefano Sannino, former EEAS secretary general. All three were detained in Brussels and can be held for 48 hours before being brought before a magistrate. Homes belonging to the suspects were also searched.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) confirmed that “three suspects” were arrested as part of an investigation into suspected fraud tied to a €650,000 EU contract for the EU Diplomatic Academy training program—a nine-month course for junior diplomats awarded to Mogherini’s institution in 2021–2022. Investigators are scrutinizing whether the tender process was manipulated to guarantee that the College of Europe secured the contract.
EPPO revealed that there are strong suspicions confidential procurement information was leaked to one of the tender participants, potentially allowing the College to unfairly benefit. Mogherini’s diplomatic immunity had already been lifted before the raids, signalling the seriousness of the inquiry.
Possible charges include procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and violation of professional secrecy—crimes that, if proven, would strike at the very core of the EU’s credibility.
The College of Europe confirmed that Belgian police searched its Bruges campus and insisted it was cooperating fully with investigators, reaffirming its commitment to “integrity, fairness, and compliance.”
This scandal is particularly explosive given Mogherini’s legacy: a tenure marked by soft-gloved diplomacy toward Iran, alignment with Arab positions on Israel, and repeated criticism of the Jewish state. Her arrest now places one of Brussels’ most influential pro-Palestinian figures under a cloud of corruption, deepening scrutiny of the EU establishment’s internal dealings.
