There European Prosecutor’s Office investigates the exchange of messages between Ursula von der LeyenPresident of the European Commission, and theto Of Pfizer, Albert Bourlaregarding the maxi-order of vaccines against the Covid which led to a 20 billion euro agreement.
Ursula von der Leyen and the text messages with Pfizer
At the moment there are no suspects and the one launched by the EU Prosecutor’s Office is a fact-finding investigation. The hypotheses of crime: interference in public functions, destruction of SMS, corruption And conflict of interest.
In October 2022, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office Eppo announced an investigation into the procurement of anti-Covid vaccines. Then followed the investigation opened by local authorities in the city of Liège at the beginning of 2023, following the complaint filed by local lobbyist Frédéric Baldan. Then came the complaints from the Hungarian and Polish governments (which however were on the verge of withdrawing the request).
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
What is the European Public Prosecutor’s Office Eppo
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is an independent body that since 2021 investigates and prosecutes crimes that harm the financial interests of the Union.
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The role of the New York Times
The media case was raised by New York Timeswhich spoke of a “personal diplomacy” by Ursula von der Leyen on the occasion of the third contract for the supply of Pfizer vaccines signed in May 2021. The newspaper wrote of “messages and phone calls with Albert Bourla” exchanged “for a month” which European authorities never made it public.
Just the New York Times sued von der Leyen on 25 January 2023 before the Court of Justice of the EU for failure to publish the messages.
The European Commission has so far refused to reveal the contents of the text messages or even to confirm their existence.
All this takes place in a very delicate period for Ursula von der Leyen: the outgoing Commissioner is a candidate for a second mandate at the helm of the European Commission, a position she has held since 2019. Her mandate will expire shortly after the European elections which will be held between 6 and 9 June.
Ursula von der Leyen running for a second term
The so-called Pfizer-gate adds to other problems that have been troubling the Union’s leaders for months: the shadow of alleged payments by Russia to MEPs to spread propaganda and the Qatar-gate.
Photo source: IPA
