A major high-level corruption scandal is shaking Brussels, warns Romanian MEP Claudiu Richard Târziu. According to his statement, former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini was arrested on Tuesday in a case involving alleged fraud with European funds.
The investigation reportedly targets two additional individuals, including a senior European Commission official. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced that the three have been formally charged with fraud in public procurement, corruption, conflict of interest and breach of professional secrecy.
Târziu argues that the European Commission is facing yet another credibility crisis. Instead of serving as a guarantee for the proper management of European taxpayers’ money, Brussels is increasingly associated—he claims—with corruption cases involving its own officials.
At the same time, the MEP criticizes the “silence” of EU institutions regarding corruption issues in Kyiv, suggesting that this lack of transparency only fuels public suspicion. “Are the same practices at play? We don’t know,” he states.
What is clear, Târziu emphasizes, is that European citizens have the right to know how their money is being spent. Transparency and accountability, he insists, are not optional principles.
“Citizens must not be the ones paying for Brussels’ corruption,” the MEP concluded.
