Bid to upgrade Novartis probe

Efforts are under way to convene the plenary of the Athens Court of Appeals so that an investigation into the politically charged Novartis case can be referred to an investigating judge at the highest level, Kathimerini understands.

The development came a day after a key suspect in the original Novartis probe – Konstantinos Frouzis, who is former vice president and general manager of Novartis Greece – claimed to have been pressured by corruption prosecutor Eleni Touloupaki to join a witness protection program and implicate Greek politicians in an alleged bribery scandal involving the Swiss pharmaceutical company.