A political row erupted in Greece on Friday after judicial authorities named two protected witnesses in a long-running bribery probe involving Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis.
Critics said the move, which enables legal actions to be taken against the witnesses, would discourage any future testimony on condition of anonymity.
The case, which began in 2017, sparked a scandal in Greece as the witnesses testified that a number of senior politicians were allegedly involved in helping Novartis dominate the Greek health market.
As well as politicians, some 100 doctors and about 30 high-ranking civil servants were allegedly caught up in the affair.
But investigating magistrates failed to find enough incriminating evidence to formally press charges.
All those named, including Greek central banker Yannis Stournaras, former prime minister Antonis Samaras and former EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, denied wrongdoing.
The Greek subsidiary of Novartis later admitted paying kickbacks between 2012 and 2015 to employees of public hospitals to boost sales of its products, according to US federal prosecutors.
The alleged result was a commanding position for Novartis in the Greek healthcare market, allowing it to inflate its prices even as Greece was in the midst of a serious financial crisis.
Greek officials have estimated that the scheme cost the state some three billion euros ($3.25 billion) in inflated prices.
Government officials on Friday said the move was justified as the witnesses had committed perjury.
“They wanted to put us in jail with lies,” Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis told Action24 TV station.
“The decision of the court is particularly important. Because the way is now wide open for the full and official disclosure of the Novartis plot,” former premier Samaras said Thursday.
A significant share of the Novartis investigation has taken place in the United States, where the company in 2020 agreed to pay $345 million to settle charges connected to bribery schemes aimed at boosting sales.
Source: AFP