4 million euros rained into the account of the European Commissioner for vaccines
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Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Food Safety and Public Health - signatory of a clumsy contract for the supply of AstraZeneca vaccines, among others - has seen 4 million euros 'rain' on her family bank account.
The Court of Auditors of Cyprus presented a report showing how the Commissioner's husband, Kyiriakos Kyriakides, received several millionaire 'loans' from the second largest bank in the country, without providing even remotely suitable guarantees (1-4).
Stella Kyriakides and the 4 million euros that rained down from heaven
Cyprus Cooperative Bank - Cyprus' second state-owned bank - has found itself in trouble repeatedly over the years. By forcing the Cypriot state to rescue it, at the expense of the taxpayers. The Court of Auditors of Cyprus has thus launched an investigation into what business the 'Politically Exposed Persons' have done with the bank.
The European Commissioner Stella Kyriakides emerges - in relationship of the Court of Auditors of Cyprus - in four deals involving her husband Kyriakides Kyriakides, for approximately € 4 million. Concessions of 'loans' that the supervisory body considers 'very problematic', as they are not guaranteed by income or other properties. Also, according to the report, the justification for the loan decision was not recorded.
'Everyone can decide for themselves'?
The Auditor General of the Republic of Cyprus, Odysseas Michaelides, told German Panorama reporters that 'our role is to ascertain and communicate the facts, without making political assessments. Each citizen can decide for himself whether these agreements are legitimate or not'. (1)
To the European ParliamentStella Kyriakides had stated in her disclosure statement that her husband was a very busy businessman. By declaring his positions as 'director' or 'chairman' in nine different companies, not including financial holdings or other major assets.
Stella Kyriades, question to the European Parliament
The declaration of transparency financial statement issued by Commissioner Kyriades in January 2021, however, does not state the name of Maralo Ltd., through which her husband received the 'loans' under investigation. Although Kyriades Kyriades is actually the director of that company, in the register of Cyprus companies.
The green MEP Sven Giegold presented a query with a request for a written reply, on 6.4.21, requesting that the Commissioner clarify the facts that emerged and promptly update her declaration of financial 'transparency'. 'Especially in view of the difficulties of the Covid crisis' - declared the green MEP - 'we need full disclosure, and you have to say if it had any influence on the vaccine deals'.
European Commission, vaccine supply contracts
The European Commission, through Stella Kyriades, declares to have so far entered into the following contracts for the supply of vaccines related to the pandemic in progress:
- AstraZeneca (400 million doses),
- Sanofi-GSK (300 million),
- Johnson and Johnson (400 million),
- BioNTech-Pfizer 600 million),
- CureVac (405 million),
- Modern (160 million doses).
The site website of the Commission European Union, in a report dated 8.1.21, also refers to 'exploratory talks'with Novavax (with a view to supplying 200 million doses) and with Valneva (for 60 million doses). (5) It does not, however, refer to the contract signed on 8.10.29 with Gilead Sciences for 500 thousand doses of the antiviral Remdesivir, which proved ineffective, at a price of € 2.000 each, for a total of € 1,035 billion. (6) And transparency on the contracts in question - as reiterated by the 58 signatories of the letter di European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) - remains crucial.
European Commission - AstraZeneca, the worst contract?
The V4NA agency he had asked Stella Kyriades if the contract she signed on behalf of the European Commission with AstraZeneca was actually less favorable to the buyer than the one stipulated by the same pharmaceutical company with the United Kingdom.
The laconic answer Commissioner did not deny that the British contract provided for greater guarantees on the delivery of vaccines. However, without clarifying whether the scarcity of the EU contract was due only to the lack of competence of Stella Kyriakides (graduate in psychology) and her overpaid staff (7-9).
Stella Kyriakides, the former in Cyprus
The Hungarian journalist Ómolnár Miklós, on his blog Feketen Feheren (Black and White), revealed that Stella Kiriakides has had close ties to major vaccine manufacturers such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca for years. In her multi-year term of office on the 'Europa Donna' committee in Cyprus, she had been involved in a privatization project for cancer treatments, which led to an increase in prices.
Miklós Ómolnár he recalled that when the problem of oncological therapies became intolerable, the matter was brought to the Cypriot Parliament. All MPs voted to nationalize cancer treatments, reducing costs. Apart from just one, the very one who should now guarantee public health and food safety in Europe. (10)
Dario Dongo
Footnotes
(1) Johannes Edelhoff. Ehemann von EU-Impf-Kommissarin Kyriakides unter Korruptionsverdacht. Das Erste. 6.4.21, https://daserste.ndr.de/panorama/aktuell/Ehemann-von-EU-Impf-Kommissarin-Kyriakides-unter-Korruptionsverdacht,kyriakides100.html
(2) The Court of Auditors is estimated to be one of the most active independent authorities in Cyprus in the fight against corruption. In recent months, it has also helped tackle the 'golden visa' scandal. V. Cyprus officials implicated in plan to sell passport to criminals. Al Jazeera. 12.10.20, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/12/cypriot-politicians-implicated-in-plan-to-sell-criminals-passport
(3) ΕΕ: "Ο σύζυγος της επιτρόπου Κυριακίδου ύποπτος για διαφθορά". Greek circus. 7.4.21, https://www.circogreco.gr/2021/04/07/ee-o-syzygos-tis-epitropou-kyriakidou-ypoptos-gia-diafthora/
(4) EU's biggest corruption scandal unfolds as € 4M appear on Commissioner's account. VFAgency. 16.5.21, https://v4na.com/en/eu-s-biggest-corruption-scandal-unfolds-as-4m-appear-in-commissioner-s-account
(5) Questions and Answers: COVID-19 vaccination in the EU. European Commission. 8.1.21, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_2467
(6) Linda DiBenedetto. Europe has spent a billion euros on the Remdesivir which is not needed. Panorama, 17.4.21, https://www.panorama.it/news/salute/europa-remdesivir-miliardo-euro
(7) Italian broadcaster publishes full EU vaccine contract with AstraZeneca. EU politician. 15.5.21 https://www.politico.eu/article/italian-broadcaster-publishes-full-commission-vaccine-contract-with-astrazeneca/.
(8) The contract signed by Commissioner Stella Kyriades on 27.8.20 for the supply of Astra-Zeneca vaccines was published by Report Rai 3, on https://www.rai.it/dl/doc/2021/02/19/1613725900577_AZ_FIRMATO_REPORT.pdf
(9) Was Stella Kyriakides aware that she signed a bad deal? VFAgency. 1.4.21 https://v4na.com/en/stella-kyriakides-tudataban-volt-hogy-rossz-szerz-dest-kot/
(10) Eurómilliók jelentek meg a nyugati oltóanyaggyártókkal szoros kapcsolatban álló uniós beszerzési biztos számláján. Pests Srácok. 6.5.21, https://pestisracok.hu/euro-milliok-jelentek-meg-a-nyugati-oltoanyaggyartokkal-szoros-kapcsolatban-allo-unios-beszerzesi-biztos-szamlajan-video/
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
