Belgian police raided the EU’s diplomatic service in Brussels on Tuesday, along with the College of Europe in Bruges and private homes, as part of a probe into alleged misuse of EU funds, according to people familiar with the investigation and witnesses, writes EURACTIV.

“Raids took place across Belgium in the early hours of the morning, with police seizing documents and arresting three people to question them on suspicion of procurement fraud, corruption, and criminal conflict of interest.

Around 10 officers dressed in civilian clothes entered the European External Action Service (EEAS) headquarters at 7:30 am on Tuesday, one eyewitness said. Another EU official from the EU’s diplomatic service confirmed the raid.

The criminal probe began after allegations that the EEAS, and the College of Europe – the prestigious post-graduate training school for Eurocrats – misused EU public money in 2021 and 2022, according to four people with knowledge of the investigation.

The raids are the latest major scandal to hit the EU institutions and will pile pressure on the College of Europe and its rector, Federica Mogherini, who used to run the EEAS, and started a second five-year term in Bruges this year.

Mogherini, a former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, did not immediately respond to Euractiv’s questions.

Belgian federal police from West Flanders, and the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, took part in the operation as part of a criminal probe led by the EU’s Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).

Spokespersons from EPPO and OLAF declined to comment.

Investigators are examining whether the College of Europe or its representatives had prior knowledge of a public tender to finance the new EU Diplomatic Academy, an annual training programme for European diplomats in Bruges which is funded by the EEAS”.