Bangladesh, May 16 -- Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and the unelected figurehead of the European Unions executive branch, has long postured as a paragon of transparency. In speech after speech, she has advocated for openness in governance, portraying the EU as a bulwark against the murky dealings of autocratic regimes. Yet, a recent ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has cast a harsh light on von der Leyens own conduct-exposing a glaring contradiction between her rhetoric and reality.

At the center of the scandal are a series of text messages allegedly exchanged between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. These messages reportedly played a key ro...