The Pfizergate case has recently passed into the hands of the European public prosecutors (EPPO), which concerns allegations of criminal offenses in relation to the negotiations on the coronavirus vaccines between the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenand the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Burla. The case, which Belgian prosecutors have been dealing with since the beginning of 2023, touches the president of the Commission herself, who wants to be re-elected to the presidency of the Commission while being investigated for “interference in public duties, destruction of SMS, corruption and conflict of interest “, according to the representative of the Liège Prosecutor’s Office.
The timeline of the case
It all started when in early 2023 the lobbyist Frederic Baldan approached the judicial authorities of Liège, filing a relevant complaint. More specifically, the complaint focused on text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Burla ahead of the EU’s biggest vaccine deal at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a case dubbed Pfizergate. The case has since seen the light of day, with the “New York Times” who revealed it taking legal action against the European Commission, as the latter refused to reveal the content of the messages despite an official request for access to the relevant documents.
With the investigation now in the hands of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Commission president’s role in the huge €20 billion deal with Pfizer is expected to be scrutinized. The EPPO, which was established in 2017 and conducts pan-European investigations into financial crimes, has the ability to seize phones and any other material it deems necessary, both from the Commission’s offices in Brussels and anywhere in the EU.
The attitude of Hungary and Poland
In addition to Baldan’s allegations, however, von der Leyen has to face the attack, for the same case, by her staunch opponent, the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban. Orban, whose pro-Russian and anti-European stance has largely made him an outcast in the EU, has launched his own complaint about the European Commission president’s role in the vaccine negotiations with Pfizer. In addition, Poland had also submitted a related complaint last November, as confirmed by a representative of the Polish government.
However, after the election of the country’s new prime minister and Von der Leyen’s ally, Donald Tusk, in December, “the new government intends to withdraw Poland from these proceedings,” the spokesman added. The Pfizergate update comes at a critical time for von der Leyen, as the European Commission president is in the midst of her re-election bid.
Von der Leyen’s original triumph
It is recalled that this particular agreement, which took place at the height of the pandemic in 2021, was initially considered a triumph for von der Leyen, as it demonstrated the quick reflexes of the Commission in the effort to deal with COVID-19. However, the huge amount of vaccines purchased at the time raised reasonable questions, while at the same time it was revealed that at the end of 2023 there were lost doses worth at least 4 billion euros. These revelations led to the renegotiation of the relevant contract with Pfizer.
For her part, the Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidis had explained last month that the aim, at the time of the health crisis, was to create stocks and for this reason deliberate over-buying was carried out so as to ensure full vaccine coverage for all EU citizens. “Member states are the legitimate holders of the COVID-19 vaccines, which are procured through purchase agreements concluded by the Commission on behalf of the Member States with vaccine manufacturers,” added the commissioner.
The critical role of research
As for the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen, everything now seems to depend on the investigation. If European Prosecutors find evidence to support criminal charges against the Commission president, ahead of the upcoming European elections, scheduled for June 9 in Greece, then, according to sources in Brussels, the debate could open for whether the German politician should continue to claim the renewal of her mandate, which, according to all indications, she will manage to achieve without particular problems.
Otherwise, according to the same sources, the stage at which the case is and the impossibility, so far, of proof of willful mismanagement on the part of the German politician cannot damage her profile to an extent capable of standing in the way of her re-election for a new five-year term at the head of the European Commission.
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