13/04/2023 (Agence Europe) – A criminal complaint against Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has been filed with the Belgian courts, according to information published on Thursday 13 April by Le Vif. The Commission President is accused of having acted “without any mandate” for the EU Member States - including the Belgian federal government - by negotiating “directly and secretly”, including by text message, contracts for the purchase of vaccines with Pfizer’s managing director, Albert Bourla, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ursula von der Leyen is also accused of having deleted these texts. So far, this case has been the subject of administrative complaints against the Commission to the European Ombudsman (see EUROPE 12879/16) and to the EU Court of Justice (referred by the New York Times). (LC)