EU prosecutors still have questions for von der Leyen over Pfizergate, source says she has not given an in-person statement

Ursula von der Leyen has not yet provided an in-person statement to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) for its investigation into the procurement of coronavirus vaccines, according to an individual involved in the effort who was granted anonymity to speak freely.

In 2024, the EPPO took over the Belgian-led probe into alleged criminal wrongdoing in connection with vaccine negotiations between the European Commission chief and Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla. According to legal documents seen by Politico, prosecutors have been investigating von der Leyen for interference in public functions, destruction of SMS, corruption and conflict of interest.

Asked to respond to the assertion, Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the Commission has demonstrably cooperated extensively with the EPPO to clarify facts and assess events. He said the President has always been, and continues to be, very cooperative in answering any open questions, within the limits of her duties and her availability as President of the Commission.

In an interview with Politico, EPPO chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi said she has on multiple occasions dealt with EU officials who refused to answer summons from her office. She said some politicians think they are above the law, and that if someone is called in for a statement, they have to come.

When asked whether von der Leyen was one of the officials in question, Kovesi said she would not comment on specific investigations.

The EPPO, set up in 2017 and operational since 2021, is tasked with rooting out crimes involving EU funds. Kovesi wraps up her seven-year tenure on Friday. She said the biggest challenge her successor, German prosecutor Andres Ritter, will face is keeping the EPPO independent and credible.

Kovesi said she is concerned the EPPO is going to be killed softly because it is doing its job. She cited three main factors undermining the institution's work: chronic underfunding, delays in the revision of the organisation's legal framework, and the complexity of its bureaucratic architecture, which she said leads to endless discussion about how to complicate the life of prosecutors.

Kovesi said the most blatant attempt to intimidate EPPO prosecutors during her tenure was in Greece, which was hit by a farm funding scandal last year that led to the resignation of ministers and deputy ministers. The cases of four MPs from the ruling New Democracy party are currently being heard in court, and they all plead innocent.

Last May, the EPPO sent a formal complaint to the Commission regarding moves by the Greek government to block EU prosecutors from investigating Greek lawmakers, and the Greek Supreme Judicial Council's refusal to renew the mandate of European-delegated prosecutors for five years at the EPPO's request. Kovesi warned this could result in EU funding cuts for Greece under Article 16 of the EPPO Regulation. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hinted at a political agenda by the EPPO by complaining of selective leaks, and Kovesi said all the noise was created to blame the EPPO for playing politics instead of discussing what happened in reality.