EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s Court Case Sees New Developments
A Belgian court in Liège is deliberating on the question of whether EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen enjoys legal immunity in a corruption investigation related to the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines on the EU level.
Since 2023, a Liège investigating judge has been investigating the allegations. The list of accusations is long, but the most serious charge is corruption. Von der Leyen, without a mandate, negotiated a secret, multi-billion-euro Pfizer vaccine deal with the company’s CEO, Albert Bourla, via SMS, before clinical trials were complete. The EU Commission President is also accused of exchanging SMS with her husband, Heiko von der Leyen, who works for Orgenesis, a company that collaborates with Pfizer.
As a result, Belgian lobbyist Frédéric Baldan filed a complaint against von der Leyen, citing destruction of public documents and corruption. Later, numerous other individuals and political parties joined the complaint.
The first hearing took place on May 17, 2024, after the court in Liège confirmed its jurisdiction and decided not to hand the case over to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office due to an obvious conflict of interest.
The second hearing on December 6, 2024, focused on the question of jurisdiction, whether von der Leyen enjoys immunity, and the admissibility of the complaints. According to the Grenzecho, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office managed to delay the hearing before the Chamber of the Court of First Instance to an unspecified date using “procedural tricks.” The indictment chamber set a new hearing for January 6, 2025, at which von der Leyen must appear in person or be represented by a lawyer.
On the previous Friday, von der Leyen announced that she had contracted a severe pneumonia and would have to cancel all appointments, as reported by RT DE.
Some social media users criticized von der Leyen, saying that she likely did not contract pneumonia if she had not had to appear in court in Liège. Fact-checkers from the dpa, however, pointed out that the EU Commission President does not have to personally appear in court, but can be represented by a lawyer.
Despite this, social media users continued to express skepticism about the timing of von der Leyen’s alleged pneumonia.
In fact, the court case continued without interruption. Dutch EU Parliamentarian Rob Roos wrote on X/Twitter: “Good news: The case against Ursula #vonderLeyen proceeded as planned. Three key questions will now be discussed:
1. Does von der Leyen’s immunity apply in this case?
2. Can the European Public Prosecutor’s Office take the case away from the Liège criminal court?
3. Is the complaint admissible?
The judges will likely announce their decision on January 20. I will keep you updated.