Transparency activists and some political opponents have sought to pressure the Commission to discuss the matter, but von der Leyen has so far avoided addressing it. In response to a direct question from POLITICO about the missing text messages, von der Leyen said: “Everything that was necessary on this subject was said and exchanged. And we will wait for the results.
In 2022, EPPO announced it was studying EU vaccine procurement more generally, but this is the first time the Office has been explicitly linked to Pfizergate.
Trading legal beards
The case currently being examined by EPPO brings together several different legal, political and financial strands – and it overlaps with lawsuits brought by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer against Hungary and Poland.
Last year, Baldan, a 36-year-old Belgian lobbyist linked to the vaccine skeptic group Bon Sens, filed a criminal complaint in Belgium in connection with von der Leyen’s role in vaccine negotiations with Pfizer for allegedly he considers acts of “interference in public functions, destruction of SMS, corruption and conflicts of interest”, according to legal information provided by his lawyer.
Adding European governments to his complaint adds weight to what might otherwise have been seen as a personal crusade. Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán, a staunch opponent of von der Leyen, has also filed a complaint over the Commission president’s role in vaccine negotiations with Pfizer, according to two insiders with knowledge of the matter, speaking undercover of anonymity due to its sensitivity.
Poland filed its own complaint last November, a Polish government spokesperson confirmed. However, after Tusk’s election in December, “the new government is working to remove Poland from these procedures,” the spokesperson said.
Politices
