Audit finds mistakes but no legal violation in Covid-19 vaccine procurement

The Swiss authorities have recommended that people aged over 16, especially the most vulnerable, get a Covid-19 booster shot to contain a new wave of infections expected this autumn and winter. Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

An external investigation into the Swiss government’s procurement of Covid-19 vaccines has revealed that two contracts with vaccine manufacturers were signed prior to parliament’s sign-off of funds. However, this didn’t constitute a legal violation.

Health minister Alain Berset requested the external investigationExternal link when questions were raised in summer 2022 about whether parliament could agree to a supplementary loan for the procurement of more Covid-19 vaccines. The government administration began to scrutinise all credits and vaccine contracts, uncovering two cases whereby contracts with vaccine manufacturers were not covered by the credits.

In one case the contract was signed with a manufacturer in May 2021 but parliament didn’t approve the necessary funds until June 7, 2021.

The external investigation, publishedExternal link on Wednesday, which was carried out by a former head of the Swiss federal audit office, confirmed the original findings by the government administration “in full”, but indicated that no legal or contractual obligations had “been intentionally violated”.

The investigation also revealed though that not all contracts ensured that parliament could change the orders without violating contractual obligations.

It was also critical of how the government managed credits and offered ten recommendations for the future. This included involving people involved in finance more closely.

In June 2022, the government was forced to slash its order for more Covid-19 vaccines in half to seven million doses after parliament said the order was excessive for a population of 8.7 million people. In May the Federal Office of Public Health confirmed that around 620,000 doses of Moderna vaccine in its existing stockpile had been destroyed because they had expired. 

Authorities have ordered 36 million doses from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Curevac and Novavax. In August 2021, the government signed a deal with Pfizer/BioNTech to supply vaccines for the next two years.