Von der Leyen investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for vaccine deal with Pfizer

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating alleged irregularities related to negotiations between the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the executive director of Pfizer, Alberto Bourla, for the acquisition of vaccines against covid-19, during the peak of the pandemic .

According to the online newspaper “Politico”, which consulted legal documents on the process and which cites a spokesperson for the Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office, the crimes involved are “interference in public functions, destruction of SMS, corruption and conflict of interests” . So far, no one has been charged.

According to the same publication, the investigation was opened by the Belgian authorities, at the beginning of last year, in the city of Liège, following a criminal complaint filed by Frédéric Baldan, a businessman who has links to the anti-vaccine group Bon Sens, who was joined later the Hungarian and Polish governments – although Poland could withdraw the complaint in the event of an electoral victory by a pro-EU government, led by Donald Tusk.

The complaint was based on an alleged exchange of messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer leader Albert Bourla, which took place before the European Union’s biggest vaccine deal, in a case that became known as “Pfizergate”. The European Commission continues, to date, without disclosing the content of the messages and the investigation is now transferred to European bodies, at a particularly important time, as Von der Leyen has re-applied for a second term as president of the European Commission.

“Everything you need to know regarding the subject has already been said and shared. Let’s wait for the results”, replied the president of the European Commission, when asked by “Politico” about the refusal for the SMS to be released.

The agreement between the European Commission and Pfizer guaranteed the acquisition of vaccines, worth an estimated 20 billion euros, but “Politico” revealed, at the end of last year, that at least four million euros in doses were wasted.