Sarakis explained that his earnings were fully taxed in Greece, adding that over the past decade, he has paid nearly €15 million in taxes.

“My compensation was the percentage I received from the settlement reached between Novartis and the U.S. government,” he said.
“Novartis paid a total of $330 million, and my share was $18 million.”

According to Sarakis, the American authorities also granted “monetary awards” to the protected witnesses involved in the case — totaling more than €30 million.

He emphasized that he was bound by a confidentiality agreement with the U.S. government and handled only the American side of the case, not the Greek investigation involving political figures, whose testimonies he described as “false and unconnected” to his work.

Sarakis also revealed that he had proposed representing the Greek state in U.S. courts to pursue compensation from Novartis, but this idea was not adopted. Instead, the case was brought before Greek courts — where the state’s lawsuit was eventually dismissed.

Regarding his expulsion from the Hellenic Solution party, following accusations by party leader Kyriakos Velopoulos of “arrogance and excess,” Sarakis responded:

“Velopoulos saw me as a political threat and made sure to remove me.”

He made it clear he would not return to the party even if invited and hinted that he plans to end his political career after the next elections to focus solely on his legal practice.

Sarakis’ declared income — over €18 million — placed him first among MPs in this year’s financial disclosure reports.