The European Prosecutor’s Office conducted inspections on Tuesday at the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) and the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels as part of an investigation into alleged fraud related to EU-funded training for young diplomats, that body said. The Federal Police arrested three people in the operation, including the Dean of the College of Europe and the former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, according to the Belgian newspaper. If a bracelet.
The debate revolves around the possible rigging of a project by the European Union Diplomatic Academy, a nine-month training program for junior diplomats from all member states. This award was awarded by the European External Action Service to the College of Europe in Belgium for the period 2021-2022 following a tender procedure.
Since 2020, Mogherini has been Dean of the College of Europe, a higher education institution that trains many future positions in European diplomacy and the civil service. She previously served as High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union and Vice-President of the Commission between 2014 and 2019.
In the Commission’s daily press conference, the group’s spokeswoman, Anita Heber, confirmed the inspections that took place in the European External Action Service building, and specified that the investigation related to “activities” that took place in the “previous mandate,” referring to the stage in which the Spaniard Josep Borrell was in charge of that organization, according to EFE.
“There are strong suspicions that during the tender process for the programme, Article 169 of the Financial Regulation relating to fair competition was violated, and confidential information relating to ongoing procurement was exchanged with one of the candidates participating in the tender,” the European Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
Before the searches, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requested and was granted the lifting of immunity for a number of suspects. The facts under investigation were first reported to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). They can constitute fraud in public procurement, corruption, conflicts of interest and breach of professional confidentiality.