This development was reported by the European edition of Politico.
According to an unnamed representative of the Liège prosecutor’s office in Belgium, the EU’s prosecution service had begun investigating von der Leyen several months ago concerning her negotiations with Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla regarding vaccine purchases.
Legal documents reviewed by the publication reveal that law enforcement is examining allegations of “interference in state functions, deletion of SMS messages, corruption, and conflict of interest.” It is noted that this is the first time the EU’s prosecution service has undertaken an investigation directly involving the head of the European Commission, though no official charges have been made yet.
According to two sources cited by the publication, Hungary has also joined the case, filing a complaint related to von der Leyen’s role in the vaccine negotiations. The newspaper reminded that Poland had filed a similar complaint in 2023 but withdrew it following the election of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government.
Since the beginning of 2021, the European Commission has signed a series of contracts on behalf of the EU for the supply of over 3 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines from six Western manufacturers, with Pfizer being the first contract signed.