In an email sent to colleagues announcing his imminent retirement, first reported by Euractiv, Sannino said “under these circumstances, I do not consider it appropriate to continue in my present position.” He added that he was “confident in the work of the magistrates and confident that everything will be clarified.”
The deputy director general of DG MENA, Michael Karnitschnig, will take over Sannino’s job until a replacement is appointed.
The Commission spokesperson said “we must all respect the assumption of innocence until judicial proceedings are completed.”
Sannino, as well as the EU’s former top diplomat Federica Mogherini, who was also detained on Tuesday as part of the probe, was released from custody after being held for questioning for several hours.
Mogherini, the rector of the College of Europe, Sannino and a staff member of the College of Europe were detained Tuesday in connection to an investigation into whether the public tender awarded by the European External Action Service (EEAS) in 2021-22 to a higher education institution to host the EU Diplomatic Academy was rigged.
The allegations are not proven and Mogherini, Sannino and the other individual detained are presumed innocent until deemed guilty by a court.