Ex-EU international consultant Mogherini arrested – FOCUS on-line | EUROtoday

Mogherini is presently in police custody, the AFP information company realized from investigative circles on Tuesday. The proceedings contain funds from the elite College of Europe college in Bruges, which the Italian now heads as rector.

Several searches on Tuesday

Mogherini’s deputy and EU official Stefano Sannini have been additionally reportedly arrested. Sannini is an Italian diplomat and former Director General of the European External Action Service (EEAS). He is now Director General of the EU Commission for relations with the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf States.

According to the EU public prosecutor’s workplace, the Belgian authorities searched the rooms of the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels, the College of Europe in Bruges and the homes of a number of suspects on Tuesday and arrested the three suspects. The investigation considerations the financing of a coaching program for diplomats.

An EAD spokeswoman confirmed the searches

According to the general public prosecutor’s workplace, the College of Europe was awarded the contract for this system marketed by the EEAS in 2021 and 2022 and obtained funding for it. The EEAS had beforehand marketed this system publicly. According to their very own statements, the investigators are checking whether or not the EAD and the college had agreed prematurely.

Such an strategy could be prohibited as a result of the College of Europe would have obtained preferential therapy within the commercial. There is a “strong suspicion” that the foundations for honest competitors have been violated and that “confidential information about the ongoing procedure was passed on to one of the candidates participating in the tender,” the general public prosecutor’s workplace mentioned.

An EEAS spokeswoman confirmed the searches within the EU’s international service. The investigation is about “activities that took place in previous mandates,” mentioned one other EU official. The present mandate has been working for round a yr, and Estonian Kaja Kallas has been on the head of the EEAS ever since.