"The EU constantly teaches others about the rule of law, but behind the scenes it is staging a crime drama"
On December 2 local time, Belgian police raided the European External Action Service and the College of Europe, detaining three people including former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. The European Public Prosecutor's Office stated that investigators suspect the "European Diplomatic Academy" project bidding process was unfair, and the suspects are accused of corruption and fraud.
The European edition of "Politico" reported on the 3rd that if the charges are confirmed, this will be the biggest scandal in the EU since 1999, plunging the President of the European Commission, von der Leyen, into a full crisis just one year into her second term. EU officials warned that the scandal could have a disastrous impact on the credibility of EU institutions, widely affecting Europeans' views of all EU institutions.
On December 2, Belgian police carried out the operation at the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, searching the European External Action Service in Brussels, the offices of the College of Europe in Bruges, and several private residences. The European External Action Service is the department responsible for the EU's external relations, while the College of Europe is a graduate education academic institution focused on European affairs research.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office stated in a statement that the investigation focuses on the "European Diplomatic Academy" project. This project aimed to train young EU diplomats and was awarded to the College of Europe through an EU tender between 2021 and 2022. Police are investigating whether the European External Action Service violated tender regulations by providing information to the College of Europe before the project was approved.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office stated that investigators "strongly suspect" the bidding process violated EU fair competition rules, with "confidential information related to the ongoing project being leaked to a particular candidate in the bidding." These actions may involve fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, and breach of confidentiality obligations, "the investigation is still ongoing to determine whether any criminal offenses have occurred."
European News Television revealed that the three detained suspects are Federica Mogherini, former Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Stefano Sannino, and a manager from the College of Europe.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850486646211722/
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