Greek judiciary divided over Novartis bribery probe

A rift that has existed for a while now in the ranks of the Greek judiciary has resurfaced thanks to the Novartis bribery investigation, Kathimerini understands.

Following a statement issued by the union of judges and prosecutors last week proposing that the matter be entrusted to an investigating magistrate, five members of the union (three of whom are members of the board) have called for the case file to be returned to Greek corruption prosecutors.

In a statement, the union members said they were attempting to gather the necessary signatures to convene the appeals court plenary and table the motion.

Last week, the union slammed the head of the legal department of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, former Supreme Court president Vassiliki Thanou, for her intervention in the Novartis affair. 

Thanou had questioned the legality of convening the appeals court plenary so that the case file can be forwarded to an investigating magistrate.