Bangladesh, Dec. 4 -- The European Union is once again confronting a credibility crisis at the highest levels of its leadership. A corruption scandal targeting former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has erupted into a political storm that now threatens the position of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. For an institution already shaken by years of internal division, vaccine procurement controversies, and political infighting, the Mogherini affair has injected new volatility into a fragile leadership landscape.

The scandal began on December 2, when Mogherini – who served as the EUs High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2014 to 2019 – was detained and formally charged by th...