A report from “Proto Thema” newspaper disclosed that the protected witnesses in the Novartis scandal split €56 million among themselves, leading to heated exchanges. Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis emphasized that the new legal framework allows the competent prosecutor to reassess the witness protection status at any time. In light of the new revelations, the judiciary will decide whether to lift the anonymity of the key figures involved in the conspiracy. Both victims of the scandal, Adonis Georgiadis and Andreas Loverdos, have also called for the removal of the witnesses’ protection.

Government officials, including former Health Minister Thanos Plevris, highlighted that during 2015-2019, SYRIZA turned the real Novartis bribery scandal into a plot against their political opponents. It was only in the summer of 2022 that the Greek state filed a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical giant.

https://x.com/thanosplevris/status/1812492949004959879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1812492949004959879%7Ctwgr%5E121db61c1eb325a63f96e0062ef0b460f37c4a64%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.protothema.gr%2Fpolitics%2Farticle%2F1519840%2Fskeuoria-novartis-sfodres-adidraseis-meta-tin-apokalupsi-oti-oi-pseudomartures-ekruvan-lutra-56-ekat-euro%2F

Plevris stated, “1. The witnesses lied about the political figures, leading to the case being archived. 2. SYRIZA never sought financial compensation for the Greek state. As a minister, I filed the only lawsuit by the state against Novartis. 3. Their announcement reveals anxiety about exposing SYRIZA officials who prompted the witnesses to lie and orchestrated the conspiracy. 4. It will be interesting to see where the millions are allocated.”

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis asserted, “The revealing report by ‘Proto Thema’ newspaper confirms our initial stance. The ‘Novartis scandal’ was a poorly orchestrated conspiracy aimed at eliminating SYRIZA’s political opponents. Now, the judiciary will decide, based on the new evidence, whether to unmask the protected witnesses and hold them accountable for their actions and those who directed them.”

Adonis Georgiadis, a victim of the conspiracy set up by the so-called “Rasputin mechanism,” responded, stating that the law for public interest witnesses explicitly requires that they do not have personal gain. He added, “It is no longer at any prosecutor’s discretion to decide on the removal of protection. Any prosecutor assigned this request must acknowledge the clear violation of the law and revoke the protection. This will allow us to call Mr. Destempasidis to court and ask who prompted him to lie about us. I cannot imagine any prosecutor violating the law to protect a fraudster like him. The time to unmask the witnesses has come, and the truth we’ve been waiting for will be revealed.”

Το άρθρο του Νόμου που θεσπίζει τον Μάρτυρα Δημοσίου Συμφέροντος ρητώς ορίζει, ότι για να λάβει κάποιος αυτή την προστασία δεν μπορεί να αποβλέπει σε ίδιον όφελος. Η διάταξη ξεκάθαρη και δεν σηκώνει αμφισβήτηση, ούτε Δικαστική Κρίση. Είναι απολύτως δεσμευτική για τους… pic.twitter.com/IP9i3kqRSo

— Άδωνις Γεωργιάδης (@AdonisGeorgiadi) July 13, 2024

Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, Giorgos Mylonakis, commented, “Instead of investigating an economic scandal in its true dimension, some chose to weaponize it to target and tarnish political opponents.”

“Following today’s revelations by Proto Thema @protothema that they and their lawyer have received the staggering €56m fee in the US, the way is wide open for Justice to do what it must. What is right for the ten innocent political figures, what is right for democracy. We are waiting,” said former minister and one of the 10 victims of the frame-up Andreas Loverdos in a statement.

“The protected witnesses had a private benefit and received millions of euros. Therefore they cannot remain in a protected status. The judiciary can no longer fail to evaluate these facts,” Plevris said in his first post on the revealing publication by Proto THEMA.