Novartis case still ground for political fights

Allegations of corruption against government officials involving Swiss multinational pharmaceutical corporation Novartis may have been shelved with no charges filed, but their repercussions still provoke political clashes.

The latest spat between the conservative government and main opposition SYRIZA involves the identities of the three “protected witnesses” who accused conservative and socialist politicians in successive governments of having been bribed by the company in exchange of different kinds of favors. The issue was reignited by media reports that the three witnesses, and their lawyer, allegedly were paid several million dollars each by US authorities for their revelations.

The protected witnesses had testified both to the Greek authorities and the FBI. The revelation of their identity demanded by most of the accused politicians – preliminary to their pursuit in court for defamation and false allegations – is a formality, since their identities were revealed in 2019, when one of them, an aide to former socialist health minister Andreas Loverdos – who had fingered a conservative politician, not his boss – had sued the two others, former Novartis employees, who had alleged he had also taken bribes. The politician’s aide also revealed that all three had learned each other’s identity when they were summoned by Greek judicial authorities to testify on the same day.

Both Loverdos and current, as well as former, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, confirmed Monday they intend to pursue defamation suits against the three.

On Sunday, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called the Novartis case a “setup” by SYRIZA to destroy their political opponents.

On Monday, Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis, along with Loverdos and Georgiadis, said that new legislation, in effect since last May, allows courts to reveal the identities of protected witnesses in certain cases.

SYRIZA officials replied that the revelation of identities to uncover an alleged conspiracy endangers European legislation on witness protection and wondered whether the revelation would serve to deter witnesses in other cases from coming forward. The Novartis case has been decided, they said, and by invoking it the government is trying to divert attention.

“What do we want? Do we want to eliminate protected witnesses forever in Greece?” said SYRIZA MP Petros Pappas.

The socialists also weighed in for the revelation of the witnesses’ names. PASOK spokesman Thanassis Glavinas said the witnesses should never have been granted protected status.