BRUSSELS, December 4. /TASS/. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas are distancing themselves from the corruption allegations of the EU’s former top diplomats, the newspaper Politico informed.

According to the newspaper, the President of the European Commission "is separating herself from the corruption allegations engulfing the EU’s diplomatic service." As EC officials stated, von der Leyen has nothing to do with it.

"It’s a different institution that’s being investigated," an EU official said. The source also characterized attacks on the Commission chief as "unfair and unwise," coming at a delicate moment as von der Leyen seeks to rally support for Ukraine ahead of the crucial December summit of EU leaders.

The corruption scandal, as the newspaper says, took place against the backdrop of tensions between von der Leyen and the current boss of the EEAS, Kaja Kallas, "who also tries to separate herself from the corruption investigation." In a letter to EEAS staff seen by Politico, the top EU diplomat wrote that she found the allegations against Mogherini and Sannino "deeply shocking," but that these had predated her tenure at the EEAS. In the months since then, her team had launched internal reforms, including introducing an "Anti-Fraud Strategy" and building stronger cooperation with the EU’s anti-fraud agency, OLAF, and the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO).

On December 2, the European Commission and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the information about the searches conducted at the residence of the European External Action Service in Brussels, the College of Europe in Bruges, as well as in a number of private homes, during which "three people were detained." They are accused of procurement fraud to run a training academy for future EU diplomats. Among those detained are Mogherini and Sannino.

According to the Italian media, the detainees were released because "there is no risk they will flee justice." However, as reported by the newspaper La Repubblica, after interrogation by the Belgian criminal police, formal charges were filed against all three detainees. The charges relate to fraud and corruption in procurement, conflicts of interest, and the disclosure of confidential information.