Ex-minister: Novartis case ‘a violation of institutions’
Former socialist finance minister Evangelos Venizelos on Wednesday described the Novartis bribery investigation, in which he and another nine politicians were implicated though no incriminating evidence has yet been produced, as a “violation of the institutions.”
In his testimony to a Supreme Court prosecutor, Venizelos dismissed the case as a “purported political scandal” manufactured by the previous leftist government to discredit its rivals.
He also accused ex-premier Alexis Tsipras of trying to influence the course of the probe by referring to the “Novartis scandal” in the countdown to elections.
Any politicians who may have tried to influence the judicial process need to be investigated, he said.
“The issue no longer concerns me personally, nor am I the kind of person to seek revenge,” he said, adding, however, that “our democratic duty dictates that we safeguard the rule of law and investigate the truth.”
