Belgium Corruption case: Former EU chief diplomat claims innocence

The former EU chief diplomat and Italian foreign minister Federica Mogherini, who is suspected of corruption, has declared her innocence in a public statement. "I have full confidence in the judicial system and I am convinced that the legality of the college's actions will be established," she said in a statement issued by the press office of the elite university she heads in Bruges, Belgium. In connection with the investigation into the establishment of the EU Diplomatic Academy, she clarified her position to the investigators on Tuesday. It will, of course, continue to cooperate with the authorities.

Keystone-SDA

03.12.2025, 20:16

SDA

Mogherini, who served as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019, was arrested on Tuesday together with EU top official Stefano Sannino and an employee of the College of Europe in Bruges. After questioning, they were all released again due to a lack of flight risk, but they are now officially considered defendants in the investigation, as the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced. Accordingly, Mogherini and the two other individuals are accused of criminal offenses such as procurement fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and breach of professional secrecy.

According to the EPPO, they are suspected of having acted seriously unlawfully in connection with EU-funded training programs for junior diplomats.

Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Mogherini has been Rector of the College of Europe, which is considered a training ground for EU officials and diplomats, since September 2020. Sannino was Secretary-General of the EU's diplomatic service from 2021 to 2024 and most recently headed the Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region at the EU Commission. According to the German Press Agency, he has now been relieved of his duties. The College of Europe had already announced on Tuesday that it would cooperate fully with the authorities.