Former Protected Witnesses Found Guilty in Greece’s Novartis Scandal

Former protected witnesses recovered blameworthy successful Greece’s Novartis case. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Andrew Hecht / CC BY 2.0

Eight years pursuing claims that 10 Greek politicians had received bribes from Novartis, erstwhile protected witnesses Filistor Destempasidis (“Maximos Sarafis”) and Maria Marangeli (“Aikaterini Kelesi”) were recovered blameworthy by Greece’s Single-Member Court of perjury and mendacious accusation.

On Monday, September 15, the tribunal sentenced Destempasidis to 25 months successful situation and Marangeli to 33 months. Both sentences were suspended, arsenic the judges recognized the mitigating origin of a antecedently lawful life. However, the tribunal rejected the defense’s petition to besides see the mitigating origin of “non-base motives.”

Prosecutor’s statement for the defendants

During the proceedings, the authoritative argued that some defendants should beryllium credited for their antecedently lawful conduct. It was noted that Destempasidis attended each proceeding with dignity, maintained a cleanable transgression record, and afloat cooperated with the court.

By contrast, Marangeli was absent from astir of the proceedings though she did look to testify. The authoritative nevertheless recommended designation of the aforesaid mitigating origin successful her case.

Reactions from governmental figures

The verdict prompted contiguous governmental reactions.

Antonis Samaras’ lawyer, Dimitris Giannos, for instance, called the determination “the opening of the end,” emphasizing that the Greek radical merit to cognize the afloat truth. He besides suggested that definite individuals—including Alexis Tsipras, former curate Dimitris Papangelopoulos, and judicial officials—had been shielded during the affair.

Adonis Georgiadis’ lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, described the determination arsenic “moral and governmental vindication” for the wellness minister, arguing that the convictions support ideology from those who mightiness exploit mendacious witnesses for governmental gain.

Andreas Loverdos, a erstwhile minister, celebrated the ruling, declaring that “the conspiracies person collapsed, the mendacious witnesses were exposed, injustice has been defeated, and justness was served.”

Background of Novartis lawsuit successful Greece

Destempasidis and Marangeli had provided extended grounds to then-corruption authoritative Eleni Touloupaki, accusing 2 erstwhile premier ministers—Antonis Samaras and Panagiotis Pikrammenos—as good arsenic 8 different elder politicians: Yiannis Stournaras, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Adonis Georgiadis, Evangelos Venizelos, Andreas Lykourentzos, Marios Salmas, Andreas Loverdos, and Giorgos Koutroumanis.

They alleged that the politicians accepted bribes from Konstantinos Frouzis, the erstwhile caput of Novartis successful Greece, to favour the pharmaceutical company. None of these allegations were proven. Nine cases were shelved, and Loverdos was formally cleared by a tribunal ruling.

Broader implications of the Novartis lawsuit successful Greece

The Novartis lawsuit has been 1 of Greece’s astir polarizing governmental scandals, blurring the lines betwixt judicial probe and partisan conflict.

The convictions of the 2 erstwhile protected witnesses marks a pivotal moment, reopening questions astir accountability—both for those accused of fabricating testimonies and for those who allegedly manipulated the lawsuit for governmental ends.