Several EU states file charges against Ursula Von der Leyen for corruption over those secret text messages to Bourla

Since 2021, the BonSens.org association has taken several legal actions, including civil action against Santé Publique France and the company Pfizer/BioNtech, in order to obtain the nullity of contracts for the acquisition of vaccines against Covid on the general grounds that “fraud corrupts everything”.

Their negotiation, carried out by a dedicated team, was marked by numerous SMS exchanges between President Ursula Von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, president of Pfizer, the content of which remains unknown to this day. After analysis, doctor of law Olivier Frot declared “a contract so favorable to the industrialist seems abnormal to me ”.

With a view to removing opacity both on contracts and on negotiation elements, BonSens.org sought to obtain the text messages through a procedure in France and the United States. Indeed, there is reason to believe that the SMS contain a corruption pact which could explain the leonine clauses of this contract, in particular the absence of responsibility of Pfizer for adverse effects, but also the absence of exact product specifications.

Faced with the impossibility of obtaining the SMS messages, Frédéric Baldan, a Belgian lobbyist, assumed that the SMS messages had been destroyed. On April 5, 2023, he filed a criminal complaint with the constitution of a civil party in the hands of Frédéric Fresnay, investigating judge in Liège, against Ursula Von der Leyen. The charges were usurpation of office and title, destruction of documents and illegal taking of interest and corruption. The Belgian investigating judge therefore set off in search of the text messages.

Very quickly, the Baldan-Von der Leyen affair took the form of a political fight, since the lobbyist saw his accreditations suspended before being struck off. On June 8, 2023, in an interview referring to business (SMSGate, QatarGate, suspicions of corruption), Fréderic Baldan asked: “in the face of business, can Ursula Von der Leyen remain President of the European Commission?“.

As a result, he filed a civil petition before the General Court of the European Union (TPE) requesting the suspension of Ursula Von der Leyen and the European commissioners while criminal legal action concerning them was pending in order to avoid any pressure. policies (of Ursula Von der Leyen or others) on judges, and thus guarantee their fundamental rights and the good administration of justice.

A few weeks later, Florian Philippot, president of the French sovereignist party “Les Patriotes” joined the complaint filed by Frédéric Baldan with Judge Frenay, before the Belgian political party ( VIVANT OsteBelgien ) filed a complaint in turn.

These affairs were to take an international turn.

The first German channel, investigating the opacity of the EU’s purchase contracts for anti-covid vaccines, made its front page in August 2023 on the complaint targeting Ursula Von der Leyen. Politico, EurActiv, l’Humanité, Blast and many other media reported these complaints while the French mainstream media and the AFP disregarded the duty to inform. Contacted by France-Soir in order to understand this silence on important information, AFP indicated that “it was an editorial choice” over which they had complete discretion! However, on June 9, 2023, AFP published an award ceremony for Ursula Von der Leyen by the University of Toulouse, the same day of the press conference by MEP Michèle Rivasi and Frédéric Baldan. This conference on SMS gate and contract opacity will not be relayed by AFP. A double standard that did not fail to attract attention: celebrity information published, criminal information not published! Michèle Rivasi died on November 28, 2023 .

ER: See this on outspoken MEP Michele Rivasi —

The strange death of MEP Michele Rivasi who wanted the truth about the Pfizer-Von der Leyen scandal

First a candidate for NATO, Ursula Von der Leyen announced on February 19, 2024 that she was seeking a new mandate as President of the European Commission. This news was not well received by the many opponents who are worried about the management of the health crisis as well as the billions sent in support of Ukraine, while Emmanuel Macron “no longer excludes anything to support the ‘Ukraine‘ to the great dismay of the allies. Moreover, on March 16, 2024, the Public Senate site questioned ‘Presidency of the European Commission: Ursula Von der Leyen, stop or again?“. The complaints against UVDL being once again passed over in silence.

Where are the complaints against Ursula Von der Leyen?

A game of mail pingpong begins.

First of all, Judge Frenay, contacted by France-Soir, replied

“I am not legally competent to answer your questions. I am copying the King’s Prosecutor of Liège and Ms. Vanderputten of the EPPO (European Public Prosecutor office) to whom you can contact.’

He politely sends us to Jennifer Vanderputten, European prosecutor delegated to the EPPO. The latter informs us that our message “was sent to Tine Hollevoet, spokesperson for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, who read us in copy”. And finally, Tine Hollevoet answers us:

“the investigation into the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines in the European Union is still ongoing and covered by the secrecy of the investigation in order to preserve the evidence useful to the demonstration of the truth. Therefore, at this stage, we are unable to provide you with further details. As soon as we are able to communicate publicly about this investigation, we will relay the information via the usual media.’

So we’re back to square one. We should learn more through the usual media, without us knowing which ones! Never mind, at France-Soir, we are patient and we are used to multi-cushion billiards.

But in Brussels, tongues are loosened and a person close to the case informs us that “the EPPO would obstruct the procedure so that the investigating judge cannot carry out his investigation” before adding ‘the EPPO is trying to give itself jurisdiction through a procedure before the investigating chamber in order to obstruct Frenay’s investigation. Very discreet, it is the Belgian law firm Crowell & Moring which represents Hungary in this affair.

Obstacles to the proper conduct of the investigation and the independence of justice would have indeed occurred, thereby justifying the fears of Fréderic BALDAN. And the source reports that “the various parties will be heard soon. However, we ensure that the judge is removed from the case.”

EPPO exceeds its prerogatives in the Baldan-Von der Leyen complaint

First of all, let us remember that criminal law is of national application because each country has its own penal code, its own offenses and its own penalties. It is therefore not a European federal law or within the competence of Europe.

The autonomy of national criminal laws remains and is protected by investigating judges. The introduction of the EPPO in 2021 in Europe was widely criticized by countries where there were investigating judges such as in France and Belgium, because this deprived them of part of their competence.  The EPPO has jurisdiction over offenses affecting the financial interests of the European Union (PIF directive).

Mr. Baldan criticizes offenses which harm Belgium, but not Europe. It is therefore surprising that the EPPO intervenes since it does not have jurisdiction over the destruction of documents or SMS messages, because it is not a financial offense.

And this is what our source confirms on the obstruction of the action of the investigating judge, before adding “this problem of competence should not hold in normal times, there is real political interference. It’s serious“.

A historical fact: countries joined Baldan’s complaint

By continuing our investigation, we discovered and then obtained confirmation of a historical fact: several European states, including Poland and Hungary, joined the complaint filed by Mr. Baldan with the investigating judge Frenay. Never seen before.

These two states, as well as Romania, have also been the subject of independent summons before the Belgian courts by the company Pfizer Inc to “oblige these countries to respect their commitments in terms of orders for vaccines against Covid-19 which were placed within the framework of their contracts signed in 2021 ”as we can read on page 100 of the annual report of Pfizer Inc. Clearly, Pfizer is asking for “full payment for vaccine doses” ordered through the European contract, many of which Ms. Von der Leyen discussed and potentially negotiated with President Bourla.

Hungary, in a response that France-Soir was able to consult, explains “that it is having payment difficulties and is asking for the contract to be called into question following the influx of refugees from…. of Ukraine ”. Since then, it appears that at least one other country, Romania, has joined Judge Frenay or is on the verge of doing so.

Obstruction: Political interference in a legal procedure which should alert everyone, including the media

The situation is very complex with a complaint against President Ursula Von der Leyen supported by at least 10 plaintiffs (Baldan, Vivant Ostebelgien  the Belgian political party, Les Patriotes and at least two European countries, etc.), at the very moment when she is trying to run for office, with a new mandate as president. For this reason alone, the Senate public analysis of March 16 should therefore be completed.

States have never filed a criminal complaint against the President of a commission in office. This extraordinary fact alone should not allow the latter to represent itself . The EU Treaty, as well as the code of conduct defining the function of commissioner, provide that they must have the highest standards of morality, ethics and honesty.

Within Parliament, rumors are rife and tongues loosen when asked about Mr. Baldan’s complaint: “Ursula was in a rage”. (the color of anger in Belgium!). This was previously reported in June 2023 —

Translation: Lunch in town came the subject of the criminal complaint against @vonderleyen for illegal taking of interests, corruption, destruction of public documents and interference.  The president’s entourage confirms that she is aware of the complaint and that she voluntarily chose not to talk about it as she also demonstrated in@Cdenquete regarding her text messages with@AlbertBourla He was described to me as “very angry” and that “this complaint disrupts his personal ambitions” Case currently followed by @france_soir. Coming soon to our colleagues@afpfr,@ReutersBiz?

It was therefore as a result of his complaint that Mr. Baldan first saw his accreditations suspended by Olivan Aviles, an N-1 of Ursula Von der Leyen working in the general secretariat, before being removed.

Another specialist from Brussels comments and questions: “Ursula goes well beyond her prerogatives with the Baldan affair but look at what she did with her pony, is she really acting in the general interest?’ Ursula Von der Leyen’s pony was killed by a wolf – in doing so, she took action against the “real danger” of wolf packs in the EU, calling on the Commission to act! A case which did not fail to make Brussels smile. People have memories.

Of course, no media reported on it. The editorial choice declared by the AFP is right when it comes to talking about ethics and professional conduct. Forgotten, the interest of the European citizen by virtue of his right to know information, as well as duty number 1 of the Munich Charter of journalists which requires the latter to “tell the truth whatever it costs him”.

Our informant with the prosecution continues: “this complaint contains very serious elements and in normal times the investigating judge should have made good progress on this story and the requisitions taken, however we are trying to prevent Judge Frenay from acting”. 

The cases before the investigating judge would therefore be passed over in silence, because they would cause disruption in the re-election campaign, a sufficient reason for a “political intervention” with the EPPO in order to prevent Judge Frenay’s investigation from taking place.

Continuing to support the candidacy of Ursula Von der Leyen as Macron and Renew are doing also constitutes possible complicity in obstructing this investigation, at least a political obstacle, which clearly demonstrates that Mr. Baldan was right to take the matter to the European court, out of fear of seeing Ursula Von der Leyen try to bury the investigation.

Ursula Von der Leyen’s political future seems as obscure as the contents of the redacted vaccine contracts. Questions remain: who can still support Ursula? Who will she bring with her downfall?

To be continued.

Source

************