The former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, who is close to the Cuban regime, was detained this Tuesday in Brussels as part of an investigation into alleged fraud and corruption in EU-funded projects, according to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
Italian politician, who between 2014 and 2019 served as the chief diplomat of the community bloc and later as rector of the College of Europe, is suspected of having participated in a scheme involving the embezzlement of public funds allocated for the training of young European diplomats, reported the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
According to Belgian authorities and the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), the investigations include searches at the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels and at the College of Europe in Bruges.
Two senior officials —the Italian diplomat Stefano Sannino and an executive from the academic institution— were also detained for questioning.
The investigated crimes could constitute fraud in public contracting, corruption, conflict of interest, and breach of professional secrecy. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) participated in the operation alongside the Belgian federal police.
The case of Mogherini has sparked immediate reactions not only in Europe but also in Latin America, where her name is associated with an openly accommodating stance towards the Cuban regime.
During her term, she maintained a close relationship with Havana and was regarded by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla as a "Dear Friend" of the Revolution.
On several occasions, Mogherini publicly defended dialogue with the government of Raúl Castro and later with Miguel Díaz-Canel, refraining from condemning the repression against opponents and protesters.
His official visit to Cuba in September 2019 coincided with one of the most significant waves of repression in recent years: the March of the Sunflowers, during which more than 100 activists were arrested.
“ I was in Cuba when a repressive wave was unfolding like few we have seen, and Ms. Mogherini was speaking of a marvelous Cuba,” denounced the Spanish MEP Hermann Tertsch, who accused her of complicity with “the bloody Cuban dictatorship.”
On that trip, the diplomat was received with official honors, toured the historic center of Havana, and avoided meeting with opposition members or human rights organizations.
His speeches emphasized "cooperation and friendship" between Brussels and Havana, despite international complaints of repression, censorship, and political prisoners on the island.
The arrest of Mogherini adds to a series of scandals that in recent years have shaken European institutions, such as Qatargate and Moroccogate, calling into question the transparency of the EU's bureaucratic machinery.
According to witnesses cited by Le Soir, around ten agents entered the SEAE headquarters early in the morning to seize documents and computer equipment. The European Prosecutor's Office is investigating possible irregularities in contracts related to the diplomat training program between 2021 and 2022.
So far, neither Mogherini nor her lawyers have made any public statements. The European Commission, for its part, confirmed the records, although it only noted that the case pertains to "activities from the previous mandate."
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