NEWS

Ten politicians allegedly linked to Novartis bribery scandal

Ten politicians allegedly linked to Novartis bribery scandal

The Supreme Court’s Public Prosecution Office is to submit to Parliament a case file concerning an ongoing probe into charges that Swiss drug firm Novartis paid bribes in order to receive preferential treatment, so that lawmakers can decide whether eight former ministers and two ex-premiers should be prosecuted for their alleged role in the affair.

The file reportedly pertains to charges of accepting bribes and breach of faith – crimes for which the statute of limitations has expired – while the investigation continues into the charges of money laundering, concerning which MPs will be sent a separate file.

While it is not clear which category of charges the 10 politicians allegedly listed in the file will face if their immunity from prosecution is lifted, prosecutors are seeking to probe eight former ministers from different parties from 2006 to 2015, as well as the head of the 2012 caretaker government, Panayiotis Pikrammenos, and ex-prime minister Antonis Samaras.

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