Former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and two other people have been formally charged with fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and breach of professional secrecy, the European Public Prosecutor's Office announced today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
Mogherini and the two other defendants were detained yesterday as part of an investigation into financial abuses in the EU. However, while the investigation is ongoing, they remain at large, as the European Public Prosecutor's Office assessed that there is no risk of them absconding.
According to the prosecution, the other two suspects are a high-ranking European Commission official and a senior member of the management of the College of Europe in Bruges. Mogherini has not yet commented on the charges.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office stressed that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty before the competent Belgian courts.
Yesterday's arrests followed raids at the European External Action Service in Brussels and at the College of Europe, a prestigious educational institution that trains future EU personnel. The suspects' homes were also searched.
Mogherini was the head of the EU's foreign policy and diplomatic service from 2014 to 2019, and has been rector of the College of Europe since 2020. According to the European Public Prosecutor's Office, the investigation concerns alleged fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats.