The Greek parliament announced on Tuesday the results of a judicial investigation into alleged bribes paid to public officials by Basel-based NovartisExternal link over nearly a decade to boost subscriptions of their products at public hospitals.
“This is a massive scandal that has stunned Greek society,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said.
Under Greek law, politicians do not face prosecution directly from judicial authorities. Allegations must first be referred to parliament for review before lawmakers vote to strip the accused of their automatic immunity.
The politicians named include current Bank of Greece governor Yannis Stournaras and EU Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, plus former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras, the caretaker prime minister Panagiotos Pikramenos in 2012 and five former health ministers. They have all denied the allegations.
Samaras, the former conservative prime minister who served between 2012 and 2015, said the allegations against him were politically motivated, and vowed to file a lawsuit against left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
“This is the most ruthless but also most ridiculous conspiracy ever,” he said.
Novartis said it is cooperating with Greek authorities.
Popular Stories
More
Foreign affairs
European nations snub Swiss-made weapons over Ukraine restrictions
Switzerland will deliver rubble removal equipment to Ukraine
This content was published on
Thirty rubble removal machines and thirty fire-fighting pumps: this is the equipment that Switzerland will be delivering to the Ukraine in the next few days. The total value of these goods is 5.6 million Swiss francs.
A third of Swiss residents plan to change health insurers
This content was published on
After the announced sharp increase in premiums for 2025, about one in three people would be considering changing health insurance companies.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
New Novartis chief eyes productivity revolution
This content was published on
Vas Narasimhan estimates that using digital technology more efficiently could save up to 25% on the cost of clinical trials.
Will exclusive collaborations yield more drug breakthroughs?
This content was published on
Recently FDA-approved, Novartis's pioneering immunotherapy was developed through an agreement with University of Pennsylvania researchers.
Pharma turns to big data to gauge care and pricing
This content was published on
Struggling to keep pace with digitisation, big pharma companies are turning to big data to drive future growth. Swiss-based Novartis is no different.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.