Claim Review: Corruption Allegations Involving Ursula von der Leyen, McKinsey, and Pfizer

Claim Review: Corruption Allegations Involving Ursula von der Leyen, McKinsey, and Pfizer

The content provided alleges that Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, is involved in a corruption scandal with McKinsey and Pfizer. The claim suggests that von der Leyen negotiated a 1.8 billion dose vaccine deal with Pfizer without competitive bidding, and that her son's employment at McKinsey and her husband's ties to Pfizer are evidence of corruption.

Background

Ursula von der Leyen has been the President of the European Commission since 2019. She has been criticized for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly her negotiations with Pfizer for vaccine procurement. McKinsey is a management consulting firm that has been involved in several controversies, including its work with authoritarian governments and the Pentagon. Pfizer is a pharmaceutical company that developed one of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Investigation

The claim that von der Leyen negotiated a vaccine deal with Pfizer without competitive bidding is based on text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. However, the European Commission has stated that the texts were not preserved because they were considered 'short-lived, ephemeral documents.' The European Ombudsman criticized this approach as 'maladministration,' but did not find evidence of corruption.

The claim that von der Leyen's son's employment at McKinsey is evidence of corruption is based on the fact that he worked for the company for more than three years, including a period when von der Leyen was the German Minister of Defense. However, there is no evidence that von der Leyen's son was involved in any negotiations between McKinsey and the German government.

The claim that von der Leyen's husband's ties to Pfizer are evidence of corruption is based on the fact that he is the medical director of Orgenesis, a biotech company that has collaborated with Pfizer. However, there is no evidence that von der Leyen's husband has benefited financially from the vaccine deal.

Conclusion

While there are legitimate concerns about transparency and potential conflicts of interest in von der Leyen's negotiations with Pfizer, there is no concrete evidence to support the allegations of corruption. The claim that von der Leyen, McKinsey, and Pfizer are involved in a corruption scandal is largely unsubstantiated.

References

• Corruption in the EU stinks to the core – the ties of Ursula Von der Leyen and her husband Heiko with Big Pharma
• Will EU prosecutor’s COVID vaccine probe ensnare von der Leyen?
• The McKinsey consulting scandal you might not have heard about
• Christine Lagarde convicted: IMF head found guilty of criminal charges over massive government payout
• Peter Koenig - Wikispooks

Rating

Based on the available evidence, the claim that Ursula von der Leyen, McKinsey, and Pfizer are involved in a corruption scandal is rated 2 out of 5. While there are legitimate concerns about transparency and potential conflicts of interest, there is no concrete evidence to support the allegations of corruption.