The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) confirms it has an ongoing investigation into the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines in the European Union, according to a press release from the institution. This exceptional confirmation comes as a result of a very high public interest. At this stage, no other details will be made public, the statement from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office also states.
According to sources, the investigation concerns several complaints made in relation to the purchase of vaccines. The investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office would cover both the way in which the European Commission would have carried out the centralized purchase of vaccines, and the subsequent purchases made by the Commission from various countries.
The “mega-agreement” concluded by the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyenwhich regulates the delivery of Pfizer vaccines to European Union countries until 2023, has been the subject of controversy in the international press.
As reported by Der Spiegel in November 2021, the actual management of documents by the European Commission is in stark contrast to its self-imposed transparency rules: “The European Commission massively eliminates emails and text messages and chats not at least they are not archived – because they are short-lived “. In conclusion, “the text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla may also have disappeared.”
According to a New York Times article, published in late April 2011 and quoted by Hotnews.rothe two had been in close contact, several times calling and exchanging text messages, for more than a month, in relation to the contract announced in May for the delivery of up to 1.8 billion doses of the company’s virus-covid vaccine.
Von der Leyen’s medical training and her husband’s profession seem to have been of great help in the negotiations. Ursula von der Leyen is MD with a master’s degree in Public Health and her husband, Heiko von der Leyen, is the medical director of the US biopharmaceutical company Orgenesis Inc., which specializes in the development of cell and gene therapies.
publication Politic wrote in September this year that the European Court of Auditors accuses the Commission of refusing to make public details on how the EU’s largest vaccine contract was negotiated.
Politico also notes that the European Ombudsman’s inquiry into the matter has also hit a wall of silence. At the time, the Commission claimed that it no longer had text messages on file.
Also in Romania the purchase of vaccines was disputed. PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu said in April that someone needs to explain how 100 million vaccines worth over 700 million euros were purchased during the coronavirus pandemic for 15 million people:
“Perhaps in front of the prosecutors” the explanations should be given, said the head of the PSD.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies said he did not understand why Romania bought another 40 million doses of the vaccine, despite having 65 million doses of anti-COVID-19 serum in stock.
“They bought 65 million doses for the first time. A few days ago about two million expired, I threw them away. We have a target population for vaccination of 15 million Romanians, in May of last year the Minister of the USR , it seems to me, of Health, he signed a memorandum to the government, he was countersigned by Mr. Barna, because he was the deputy prime minister with responsibilities on health and there are two other signatories, the finance minister and the prime minister, but all the procedure is outside the health area. They also signed a contract for 40 million doses of the vaccine for the years 2022 and 2023, which have not yet arrived in Romania, “Ciolacu said, quoted by News.ro.
