The lawyer for three Greeks who have entered a witness protection programme in the United States, allegedly former high-level Novartis employees, claims that his clients have videotaped and audio files that support their allegations of kickbacks.
“There are indications that political decisions have been made to benefit the interests of the pharmaceutical company,” said attorney Pavlos Sarakis.
Sarakis said that the some of the politicians cited in the Greek judicial case also appear in the FBI investigation’s documents, with their names, addresses, and tax registration numbers cited.
The FBI probe, the report from which has been incorporated in the Greek prosecutors’ investigation, covers the period between 2006-2014.
The criminal law attorney says that his clients have described all the illegal and improper practices of the company. This case will change the political system in Greece,” he said, without elaborating.
It is unclear why the three protected witnesses in the US chose an Athens, Greece lawyer to represent them, as their names are not even know to Greek authorities, as Sarakis maintains.
“There were doctors who were receiving kickbacks to prescribe drugs, endangering the health of patients in order to serve the interests of Novartis,” Sarakis claimed.
In the past, Sarakis had successfully represented Golden Dawn MPs Elias Kasidiaris and Elias Panagotaros , managing in 2013 to keep them out of prison, when other party MPs were remanded in custody, charged with membership in a criminal organisation, after Golden Dawn was shown to have organised the murder of rapper Pavlso Fyssas.
Then prime minister and New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras expelled him from the party as a result.
