PARIS, December 3. /TASS/. The detention of the former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, on corruption charges in Belgium shocked the EU diplomatic service, the French newspaper Le Monde reported.

According to the newspaper, while Former President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy stated that he only knew about the incident a few hours later, ex-EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the EU Commission declined to comment on the matter.

Rompuy himself faced sharp criticism in 2020 over Mogherini’s candidacy as he took the post without prior managerial or academic credentials. The Belgian newspaper L’Echo reported on the detention of Mogherini and EU’s former Secretary-General Stefano Sannino as part of an investigation into alleged corruption within the European Union’s diplomatic service.