Authorities arrested three people on Tuesday after police carried out raids at the College of Europe in Bruges and at the Brussels headquarters of the European External Action Service in an investigation into suspected fraud involving an EU-funded training program for junior diplomats.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office said the searches, conducted by Belgian federal police at its request, also extended to the homes of several suspects. The case centres on the European Union Diplomatic Academy, a nine-month program awarded to the College of Europe during the 2021–2022 period.

Prosecutors said they are examining whether the tender process was improperly influenced. According to the EPPO, there are “strong suspicions” that confidential information linked to the procurement was shared with one of the candidates involved in the bidding.

An EU official confirmed the raids and said investigators were reviewing activities from previous mandates. High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas has been in office for a year.

The EPPO said it secured the lifting of immunity for several suspects before the searches. If verified, the allegations could amount to procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and breaches of professional secrecy.

Investigators are still working to establish the full facts and determine whether criminal offences were committed. The European Anti-Fraud Office, which first received the information under scrutiny, is supporting the probe.