Fifteen Novartis executives to appear before corruption prosecutor

After years of delays, a corruption prosecutor in Athens investigating an alleged bribery scandal involving Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has asked 15 executives of the parent company and its local branch to testify as suspects in the case.

Eleni Touloupaki is looking into indications that the company bribed doctors to obtain preferential treatment in the market from 2008 to 2012.

The Novartis investigation was launched in mid-December 2016 to determine whether 10 prominent Greek politicians and numerous doctors accepted bribes to boost the company’s market share.

As the inquiry progressed, the cases against the majority of the politicians who were implicated, have been dropped.

So far, the alleged main suspect in the case, former vice president and general manager of Novartis Greece, Konstantinos Frouzis, has yet to appear before the corruption prosecutor. Frouzis has denied any wrongdoing.