ND won't engage in '10-ballot circus' over Novartis affair

Opposition New Democracy on Tuesday said that while it will support a motion for a preliminary parliamentary inquiry into a prosecutor's allegations that two former prime ministers and eight ministers may have been bribed by a big pharmaceutical firm, it will not play into the leftist-led administration's "public relations stunts."

The conservative opposition dismissed ahead of Wednesday's contentious Parliamentary debate a proposal by House speaker Nikos Voutsis to set up 10 separate ballots representing the politicians in question so that MPs can decide whether all or some need to have their protection from prosecution lifted so they can be investigated in relation to the allegations, which are based on the testimony of three unnamed witnesses.

New Democracy described the proposed vote as a "pretext" intended to cast aspersions on politicians opposed to the government...

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