21 complaints against former protected witnesses reopened for investigation

A total of 21 complaints filed by political figures against two former protected witnesses in the Novartis case – who had previously implicated these officials in bribery allegations – will be re-examined after being retrieved from the archive.

The case has been assigned to two district prosecutors, who have instructed a magistrate to take statements from the former protected witnesses.

According to sources, testimonies from the political figures will not be needed at this stage, as their allegations are already fully detailed in their submitted complaints.

The investigation is expected to proceed swiftly due to the risk of statutes of limitations.

The large number of complaints reflects several politicians filing multiple accusations against the two witnesses for various offenses, including defamation and perjury.

Last week, two Greek prosecutors ruled that the two key witnesses in the long-running Novartis bribery case in Greece, identified by the code names “Ekaterini Kelesi” and “Maximos Sarafis,” have lost their protected status, allowing the implicated politicians to pursue legal action against them.

The Novartis case, which began in 2017, alleged that several prominent Greek politicians accepted bribes from the Swiss pharmaceutical company in exchange for facilitating its business in Greece, particularly during the country’s debt crisis.

Initially, ten political figures were accused, including former prime minister Antonis Samaras, Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras, and Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis. However, after years of investigation, the charges against these figures were dropped due to insufficient evidence.