The news of the arrest of former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and two other EU officials has caused turmoil at the heart of European institutions, following raids conducted by the Belgian police as part of a fraud investigation.

According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), there are “strong suspicions” that those arrested are involved in a case of breaching competition rules during the awarding of a contract for the operation of a diplomatic training academy.

In addition to Federica Mogherini, Italian former EU diplomat Stefano Sannino is in custody, as is Cesare Zegretti, co-director of the Executive Education Office of the College of Europe.

Where the investigations took place

The investigations, requested by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), were carried out by the Belgian police at the offices of the EU External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels, at the College of Europe buildings in Bruges, and at private residences, EPPO reports.

The EEAS is the EU’s foreign policy department. Until 2019, it was headed by former European Commission Vice-President Federica Mogherini. In 2020, she became rector of the College of Europe, an institution training future EU officials.

Stefano Sannino, an Italian former diplomat, was a senior civil servant at the EEAS. Today, he is the European Commission’s Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf region.

The third person held as part of the investigation is Cesare Zegretti, co-director of the Executive Education and Projects Office at the College of Europe, Politico reported, citing someone familiar with the case.

So far, no charges have been formally brought against those arrested. The investigating magistrate has a 48-hour deadline to decide on further actions, according to another official familiar with the investigation. The European Commission has declined to comment.

The EU European Diplomatic Academy

Belgian authorities are investigating the EU European Diplomatic Academy, a program for young diplomats from EU countries, run by the College of Europe. Mogherini has been director of the institution since August 2022.

According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, there are “strong suspicions” that the rules of “fair competition” were violated when the EEAS awarded the contract to establish the diplomatic academy to the College of Europe. The investigation concerns whether the College of Europe was informed about the selection criteria before the official announcement was published.

A senior EU official told Politico that the raids are related to an investigation that began before Kaya Kallas, the current EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, took office.

An EEAS official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said that the searches were conducted at the EEAS administrative office in Brussels, on Rue d’Arlon 62, and not at the main building on Schuman Square. Police asked staff to vacate the premises, leave office doors unlocked, and leave their furniture in place.

Stefano Sannino, the former diplomat who started with Romano Prodi’s team

Stefano Sannino, an Italian former diplomat and senior Brussels official, has over 30 years of experience in diplomacy and European politics. During his career, he led the Directorate-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and also served as Italy’s ambassador to Spain.

Educated at the University Federico II of Naples, Sannino joined the Italian diplomatic service in 1986. His career at the Commission began in 2002 when he was appointed adviser for foreign relations and trade in Romano Prodi’s team. He later served as Director for Crisis Management and EU representative on the Political and Security Committee, before becoming Prodi’s Diplomatic Adviser when he assumed the Italian prime ministership in 2006.

In 2013, he became Italy’s Permanent Representative to the EU, and in January 2020, he was appointed Secretary-General of the EEAS, playing a central role in managing EU external relations and foreign policy. He remained in the position until 2024. Immediately after leaving, he returned to the Commission as Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf (DG MENA).

Beyond his diplomatic career, Sannino is known for supporting LGBTQ+ rights. He is openly gay and married to Catalan Santiago Montragón Vial. In 2016, he received the Transexualia Award for supporting the social inclusion of transgender people in Spain, as well as the LGBT Andalucía Award (together with former U.S. Ambassador to Spain James Costos) for efforts against homophobia. In 2018, he raised the rainbow flag at the Italian Embassy for Madrid Pride.

Who is Cesare Zegretti of the College of Europe

Cesare Zegretti, an Italian and Belgian national, studied at LUISS University in Rome and has served as co-director of the Executive Education, Education, and Projects Office at the College of Europe since January 2022.

According to his CV, he joined the College of Europe in January 2016 as Project Coordinator and has professional experience in business development, project design, and management of international programs. His biography, published on his work profile, states he is interested in international cooperation policies, EU public diplomacy, external action, and education.

One of the projects he oversees is the “European Resources for Mediation Support – ERMES,” which facilitates EU support for third parties engaged in peaceful mediation and dialogue processes.

Before joining the College of Europe, Zegretti worked for two European companies providing services to European and international institutions in security and protection. He also worked for NGOs managing human rights advocacy campaigns.

Lifting of Immunity

European Commission spokesperson Anita Hipper confirmed that police conducted searches at the EEAS on Tuesday as part of an “ongoing investigation into activities carried out… during the previous term,” meaning before Ursula von der Leyen’s re-election as Commission President in December 2024.

However, when asked for further details, Commission representatives declined to comment on whether any Commission officials had been arrested or to provide additional information about the investigation.

The EPPO stated that it had requested the authorities to lift the immunity usually granted to diplomats, and the request was accepted. However, it has not been clarified which bodies received the requests.