Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

EU prosecutor’s office opens investigation into COVID vaccine purchases

EU prosecutor’s office opens investigation into COVID vaccine purchases

The EPPO didn’t specify who was being investigated, or which of the EU’s vaccine contracts are under scrutiny.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the EU's coronavirus vaccine purchases, an announcement that will refocus attention on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's role in the matter.

The EPPO is an independent EU body responsible for investigating and prosecuting financial crimes, including fraud, money laundering and corruption. In its announcement on Friday, the EPPO didn't specify who was being investigated, or which of the EU's vaccine contracts were under scrutiny.

However, two other watchdog agencies have previously drawn attention to one particular deal involving high-level contacts between Pfizer's leadership and von der Leyen.

"This exceptional confirmation comes after the extremely high public interest. No further details will be made public at this stage," said the EPPO in its short announcement.

In April 2021, the New York Times first reported on text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in the run-up to the EU's biggest vaccine procurement contract — for up to 1.8 billion doses of BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine. The deal would be worth up to €35 billion if fully exercised, according to leaked vaccine prices.

In January this year, the EU's ombudsman charged the Commission with maladministration for failing to look for the text messages in response to a freedom of information request. Without confirming the existence of the texts, the Commission argued in its response that "short-lived, ephemeral documents are not kept." It said that a search for the text messages hadn't yielded any results.

Then, last month, the European Court of Auditors published a report where it said the Commission refused to disclose any details of von der Leyen's personal role in the talks concerning the Pfizer contract.

The budget watchdog found that the EU chief deviated from the playbook established in previous vaccine negotiations to personally hash out a preliminary deal with the U.S. multinational, instead of relying on joint negotiating teams. Unlike with any of the other contracts, the Commission refused to provide the court with any documents regarding the preliminary negotiations for that specific deal.

In response to the announcement, Belgian Socialist MEP Kathleen van Brempt said that "several aspects" of the Pfizer contract need to be looked into, including "the text messages between the Commission President and the fact that there is no paper trail of the preliminary negotiations in first instance."

The MEP chairs the European Parliament's special committee on COVID-19. Both the EU's ombudsman and a member of the European Court of Auditors have appeared before the panel, where they answered questions on the topic of the text messages.

"The [COVID-19] committee will be following this case with great attention," said van Brempt.

An EU health department official said the Commission had "no comment to make at this stage."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×