The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has revealed it has an ongoing investigation into the acquisition of the COVID-19 vaccine in the European Union (EU).
The office did not reveal which EU vaccine contract is under investigation.
“This exceptional confirmation comes after the extremely high public interest,” the office said in a statement on Friday.
“No further details will be made public at this stage.”
The independent public prosecution office of the European Union is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU. These include several types of fraud, money laundering, corruption and more.
A spotlight is already on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her relationship with Pfizer.
Last month, the European Court of Auditors published a report saying the Commission refused to disclose information about von der Leyen’s role in securing the Pfizer contract, Politico reports. Instead of relying on joint negotiating teams as is customary, the EU chief personally worked out a deal.
And, as first reported by the New York Times in April 2021, text messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla were not included in a freedom of information request. The exchange occurred in the weeks ahead of a European Union vaccine procurement contract for 1.8 billion doses of BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine — the EU’s largest vaccine procurement, worth up to €35 billion, according to Politico.
In January, the EU ombudsman charged the Commission with maladministration for failing to look for the text messages, as required under freedom of information protocols.
