European prosecutors are investigating Ursula von der Leyen for purchasing Pfizer vaccines

European prosecutors are investigating allegations that negotiations between the European Commission president and Pfizer over the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines did not proceed according to the rules. European investigators were left with a case that took place in Belgium, the newspaper reports. Political, This was reported by a representative of the Liege prosecutor’s office.

The court case is investigating Ursula von der Leyen for possible “interference in government functions, destruction of communications, corruption and conflicts of interest.” Although an investigation is underway into possible crimes, there are no suspects in the case yet.

The legal investigation began in 2023 following a complaint filed by Frédéric Baldan, a Belgian lobbyist with ties to anti-vaccination groups who specializes in trade relations between Europe and China. Later, the governments of Hungary and Poland also joined the process, although Poland must drop the complaint because the post of prime minister is now held by the pro-European Donald Tusk.

The initial complaint centers on alleged communications between the European Commission president and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla that resulted in a Covid-19 vaccine procurement agreement that ultimately became the largest of its kind. European Union (EU) – will amount to 20 billion euros. Case published New York Timesin 2021 it became known as “Pfizergate”.

Following the discovery of the case, a North American newspaper sued the European Commission to force the organization to disclose the contents of messages exchanged between the two responsible parties, which are believed to have been fundamental to the conclusion of the agreement and in which the counterparties could be identified. . . The commission refused to reveal the contents of the messages or even confirm that they were still available.

At the time, the deal was seen as a success in Europe’s fight against the pandemic at a time when the bloc faced limited access to vaccine doses. But after the peak of the pandemic, the number of doses included in the agreement for subsequent years raised doubts: at least 4 million euros were wasted.

Asked about the process, Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking re-election, responded: Political that “all that was necessary about this [as mensagens de texto desaparecidas] was said and sent. And let’s wait for the results.”