The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (finally) takes up the Belgian complaint against von der Leyen
After two and a half months, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided to take up the criminal complaint lodged in Liège against the President of the European Commission. The Belgian investigating judge is currently in charge of the case. As for the complainant, he has just had his lobbyist accreditation withdrawn and no longer has direct access to the European Parliament.
Better late than never.
After two and a half months of reflection, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) based in Luxembourg has finally made up its mind. At the end of June, he took up the criminal complaint filed by a Belgian citizen, in Liège, against the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Both the Liège public prosecutor’s office and its European counterpart have confirmed to Le Vif this transfer of jurisdiction. As a reminder, this is a complaint for “usurpation of functions and title”, “destruction of public documents” and “illegal taking of interests and corruption”. It was filed on April 5 in the hands of investigating judge Frédéric Frenay by Frédéric Baldan, a 35-year-old professional lobbyist from Huy, active in trade relations between the EU and China.
Frédéric Baldan’s objective? Obtain, by legal means, the famous SMS exchanged in 2021 between Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, the big boss of Pfizer. According to the New York Times, von der Leyen and Bourla negotiated between them – while the first had no mandate to do so – the biggest contract ever signed by the European Commission: 35 billion euros for 1.8 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines. A contract signed in May 2021 between the Commission and the pharmaceutical laboratory. According to information that has leaked, the vaccines cost 15.50 euros per dose initially, before being increased to 19.50 euros, according to the Financial Times. Without a mandate, would the President of the Commission have moreover badly negotiated with Pfizer to the detriment of the Member States of the EU, and therefore of the European taxpayers of whom Frédéric Baldan sets himself up, in a certain way, as a representative?
“The EPPO can confirm that it has registered the complaint to which you refer and that it is in contact with the Belgian judicial authorities concerned”, reacts Paula Telo Alves, press officer at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. “We cannot provide any additional information at this stage. Whenever we can talk about our investigations, we will do so proactively,” she adds. So radio silence. As at the Liège public prosecutor’s office where it is just confirmed that the investigating judge Frenay is still currently in charge of the file. Under the supervision of the EPPO therefore, instead of that of the Liège public prosecutor’s office. Accreditation suspended The delay set by the EPPO – nearly two and a half months – is striking when we know that this complaint, which is not insignificant given the personality concerned, can be read in thirty minutes. As a reminder, the Liège public prosecutor’s office had sent the hot potato in mid-April to its European counterpart based in Luxembourg, because this complaint concerns European funds and was therefore likely to interest the EPPO, competent for this matter. In addition, the EPPO announced last year that it had opened a wider investigation into the modalities of the purchase, by the European Commission, of anti-Covid-19 vaccines for nearly 71 billion euros from eight manufacturers. From this European investigation, nothing has filtered. It is not known if this is a preliminary investigation or if it has been put under investigation. It is also unclear whether Frédéric Baldan’s complaint has been attached to this file or not. Our questions to the EPPO have all gone unheeded.
On the other hand, at the beginning of July, Frédéric Baldan’s lobbying firm, CEBiz, was mysteriously suspended from the European register of lobbyists, even though its accreditation had been renewed in April. The lobbyist, who no longer has direct access to the European Parliament to carry out his work, has lodged several appeals against this surprising decision.
