Grey areas, gaps noted in Novartis case testimonies

The testimonies of three anonymous witnesses upon which the alleged Novartis bribery case has been built is full of inconsistencies and gray areas, according to reports on Wednesday. 

Judicial sources say that the witnesses have been inconsistent as they "remember" every 10 or 20 days to add a new name of a politician to have allegedly received a bribe from the Swiss drug giant, raising questions about the investigation's methodology. 

Moreover, another 17 witnesses, who are not anonymous, have not claimed that politicians received bribes.

The case file also includes an FBI report about Novartis which mentions nothing about illegal payments being made to politicians. The FBI report also said that none of the information can be used for legal proceedings. 

For its part, the government toned down its rhetoric on Wednesday after a meeting of ruling SYRIZA's...