A post on X shows Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. implying that Microsoft founder Bill Gates was indicted in the Netherlands recently for his role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Verdict: Misleading
The case is a civil suit, which does not include any indictments.
Fact Check:
Bill Gates, currently #7 on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people, has been at the center of many conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. While his philanthropic efforts provided major support to the vaccine rollout, he has been accused of many different conspiracies about it, such as including tracking devices in the shots themselves.
Some people who claim to have been injured by a COVID-19 vaccine have decided to file lawsuits against him, and a post on X claims that Gates was indicted recently by a Netherlands court for lying about it.
This claim, repeated by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a recent campaign rally in Georgia supporting former President Donald Trump, is misleading. Because the case brought against Gates is a civil suit, not a criminal suit, no indictments are necessary.
According to a report in Dutch newspaper ‘De Telegraaf‘, a Leeuwarden court ruled that Gates, an American citizen, can face trial because a co-defendant lives in the region thus giving them proper jurisdiction. Gates had hired an attorney but has not been in court as of yet, and is one of several people named in the lawsuit including Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer.
This story was first reported by Lead Stories.