UrsulaGates : in addition to the complaints against von der Leyen, Frédéric Baldan and Diane Protat have filed a complaint against Kövesi, head of the EPPO

Despite the many manoeuvres of the EPPO, the omerta of most of the media, the noose seems to be tightening around Ursula von der Leyen thanks to the criminal complaint initially filed by Frédéric Baldan. Indeed, to date, more than 1000 complainants have joined the initial complaint, and the media are beginning to take an interest in the case already well covered by the citizen media. During this Friday's closed-door hearing so eagerly awaited by all parties, without having previously announced it, the EPPO said that the Court of Appeal should rule on January 6, 2024 on various aspects of the case (admissibility of the plaintiffs, von der Leyen's immunity, and the jurisdiction of the EPPO). President Anne-Marie Jacquemart therefore preferred to postpone the hearing without setting a day in order to learn about the decision of the indictment chamber. A maneuver denounced by all parties as being an attack on the rights of the defense, demonstrating once again the murky games played by the cooperation and coordination agency called the European Public Prosecutor's Office.  Explanations.

Repetition and recidivism: the cases against Ursula von der Leyen

Here is a summary of the main cases and controversies in which Ursula von der Leyen has been, or is involved.

In 2015, she was accused of plagiarism of her 1991 written medical doctor thesis. Analyses revealed that up to 43.5% of the pages of his thesis contained plagiarism, although the university concluded that there was no intent to deceive and chose not to withdraw his degree.

Secondly, the "Berateraffäre" or the Consultants affair in which von der Leyen was the subject of violent criticism relating to the management of contracts awarded to external consultants by the German Ministry of Defence  while she was Minister of Defence. Criticism is directed at the awarding of contracts without adequate control and the informal and privileged links between certain consultants and departmental officials. Corruption or nepotism?

Moreover, during the German Parliament's investigation into the case, von der Leyen was also accused of erasing official data from her phone. A destruction of data supposedly justified by security reasons, but perceived as sabotage of the investigation. Destruction of documents?

Then comes the so-called "PfizerGate" or "UrsulaGates" affair if we are to believe the book of the same name published by Frédéric Baldan. Although she has been formally excluded from the negotiations on the Covid-19 vaccination contract with Pfizer, criminal complaints with civil parties have been filed against her by nearly 1000 people for "interference in public functions, destruction of public documents, corruption and illegal taking of interest ». While the third contract for the purchase of vaccines was not the subject of any expenditure by the European Union, the European Public Prosecutor's Office invited itself into the case – this intervention being strongly contested by the civil parties who consider that the EPPO is in fact without jurisdiction in this case.

Finally, von der Leyen is the subject of much criticism over her comments or actions as president of the European Commission for what could be perceived as interference in the internal affairs of other member states. In particular during his statements on the political situation in Poland in 2017, or even more recently in the Romanian elections or finally during the signing of the Mercosur agreement, which is the subject of virulent criticism from many countries.  Unilateral political interventions?

Von der Leyen's transparency, ethics and career management are therefore the subject of accusations, criticism and controversies, but none of these have yet been defeated. Could she be a female version of Frank Abagnale, a former impostor, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film "Catch Me If You Can"?

More than 1000 plaintiffs in the criminal complaint against von der Leyen, Bourla, Pfizer and BioNtech

In April 2023, Frédéric Baldan filed a criminal complaint against Ursula von der Leyen, Albert Bourla and the companies PFIZER and BIONTECH in the context of the negotiation of contracts for the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines, for "interference in public functions, destruction of public documents, corruption and illegal taking of interest".

It was joined first by "Les Patriotes" and then by other European political parties, by two Member States of the European Union, Poland and Hungary, as well as by the collective "Les Navigants Libres" and more than 500 of its members for whom transparency is a necessity to ensure the safety of passengers. Frédéric Beltra, president of the association of victims of covid-19 vaccines Verity France, who lost his son Maxime, also joined the complaint. He considers that if Mrs. von der Leyen had been transparent and had given public access to the disputed contracts, he and his family could have made another choice than to be vaccinated.

After months of investigation by the investigating judge Frenay of the Court of Liège, a first hearing took place on May 17, 2024, postponing the date of the pleadings to December 6, 2024.  This hearing on December 6 was held in the presence of a hundred civil parties. Never seen before in the court of Liège.

Frédéric Baldan and Diane Protat held a press conference on December 7, 2024, which you can discover in the video below.  More than 200,000 people have already watched the videos of the various media present.  A press conference marked by the absence of French mainstream media! The omerta and censorship on this complaint is still relevant, which France-Soir denounced in May 2024.

Summary of the press conference

At a time when transparency and ethics are taking a prominent place in European discussions, Frédéric Baldan and Diane Protat highlight the challenges of justice and ethics within the European Union. This conference illustrated the errors of justice in Europe as well as the EPPO's attempt to protect von der Leyen. Interference. It was a real moment where the twenty-five or so journalists present and the listeners were able to learn about Mr. Protat's analysis and Frédéric Baldan's questions about the role of the European Union in justice and administrative integrity.

Frédéric Baldan and Diane Protat invited the journalists to introspect on their own practices and their role in society. The highlight of this discussion was the direct questioning addressed to journalists about their involvement in denouncing the abuse of power within the European institutions:

"So I still invite you to go and ask questions to the lawyers of the party, of the opposing parties, so for example Mr. Adrien Masset. You ask him what was the content of the messages that Mrs van der Leyen ended up deleted. Because they existed, and if they no longer exist, the logical consequence is that someone has erased them."

Kövesi Investigated

In addition, Frédéric Baldan and Mr. Protat once again highlighted the murky role played in this case by Laura Kövesi, head of the EPPO.

They also question the actions of the journalists, or rather, their inaction, in the face of the various statements of Kövesi who, after two years of investigation, declared  that he "cannot find a suspect in this case". During the press conference, Frédéric Baldan and Mr. Protat, responding to a question from France-Soir,  said  that they had filed a complaint against Kövesi,  who presents himself as a figure of integrity and the fight against corruption.

#ursulaGATES ALERTE ➡️ @BaldanFrederic et Me Protat déclarent avoir porté plainte contre la cheffe de @EUProsecutor Laura Kovesi pour coalition de fonctionnaires et atteinte arbitraire aux droits et libertés garantis par la Constitution. 
➡️ Contacté à ce sujet @EUProsecutor n'a… pic.twitter.com/RKHYCIT3F8

— France-Soir (@france_soir) December 7, 2024

Lawyer Protat recalled that the EPPO has a file on the investigation, that it was never allowed to consult it!  It was therefore logical that Frédéric Baldan and Me Protat, who question the role played by Kövesi and the EPPO, should file a complaint against her for "a coalition of civil servants to commit an arbitrary act that infringes on the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution".

France-Soir contacted the EPPO twice about possible complaints against Laura Kövesi. Tine Hollevoet, the EPPO's communications director, kicked the can down the road.  When it comes to answering important questions about your boss, do transparency and ethics apply only to others? Why doesn't the EPPO put this information on its website for transparency?

Reactions and Questions

Prior to the conference, the "Free Airmen" made an important statement demonstrating the need for TRANSPARENCY TO ENSURE AVIATION SAFETY. "Transparency is a guarantee of the trust that passengers have in the crew members. By breaking the chain of transparency, the authorities no longer allow aircrew to fully carry out the mission entrusted to them.

#ursulaGATES Communiqué des @NavigantsLibres 
LA NÉCESSAIRE TRANSPARENCE POUR ASSURER LA SÉCURITÉ AÉRIENNE
La transparence est gage de la confiance que les passagers ont envers les membres d’équipages. En brisant la chaine de la transparence, les autorités ne permettent plus aux… pic.twitter.com/jnY4ou80Jt

— France-Soir (@france_soir) December 6, 2024

Ugo Mattei, professor of law at the University of Turin, the University of Berkeley, but also at the University of Leuven, brought in the Italian NGO Generazioni Future. In a statement, he denounced von der Leyen's lack of transparency in contract negotiations: "I deeply believe that the lack of transparency is a very serious problem in Europe today."

#ursulaGATES Le prof de droit Ugo Mattei de l'université de Turin et de Californie a fait rejoindre @GenerazioniF "je crois profondément que le manque de transparence est un problème très sérieux en Europe aujourd'hui". pic.twitter.com/04guc4KONR

— France-Soir (@france_soir) December 6, 2024

At the end of the hearing on Friday, Florian Philippot, president of the party Les Patriotes had declared to our colleagues from Tocsin: "In a single day, we have seen what the horror of the #UE is  : A COUP D'ÉTAT on #Pfizer: the hearing has been postponed, A COUP D'ÉTAT in #Roumanie: The election has been annulled, A COUP D'ÉTAT on Agriculture: Ursula Von der Leyen has just signed the #Mercosur"The only solution is to get out of the #UE!"

Rob Roos, a former MEP and civil party alongside Baldan, also made a video in reaction to the hearing. He had questioned Janine Small, representing Albert Bourla and Pfizer, during her hearing before the European Commission, by asking her whether Pfizer had tested the anti-pandemic capacity of their messenger RNA injection.  "No," was the answer, immediately leading to a question about the reasons that led governments to carry out mass vaccination campaigns if they knew that the product did not have anti-pandemic properties. " The trial against Ursula #VonDerLeyen concerning the COVID-19 SMS with #Pfizer began on Friday, December 6 at the council chamber of Liège. The case was delayed (probably sabotaged) by the European Public Prosecutor's Office ( #EPPO ), which did not do its job. Here's the full story. »

The conference was widely followed on social media, with users expressing their support for the civil parties as well as the media present to cover the event.

Three weeks ago, the text message case was brought by the New York Times before the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to respond to their request for transparency. The CJEU has no power to seize text messages or force the Commission to produce text messages between von der Leyen and Bourla.  Faced with the fact that Ursula von der Leyen and her subordinates have decided to lie and to flee both transparency and justice, it seems obvious that criminal law remains the only legal avenue. 

The case brought by Frédéric Baldan therefore raises real questions in Europe, like the questioning of Mr. PROTAT: "Will Europe be able to respond to this call for a more honest and transparent governance? You can't bury your head in the sand forever.

Article originally published in french on december 8th, 2024