Opposition MPs walk out of cross-party Novartis committee

All opposition walked out of Tuesday's session of a parliamentary committee that is supposed to be investigating the Novartis affair as coalition lawmakers insisted that the probe focus on whether the panel is in fact competent to continue with the investigation or whether it should be returned to prosecutors. 

In an unprecedented boycott, the opposition MPs accused the government of conspiring to discredit its rivals.

Although coalition MPs have not summoned witnesses to the alleged bribery of Greek politicians by the Swiss drugs firm, they aim to call several of the people named by prosecutors in the initial probe, including former premiers Antonis Samaras and Panayiotis Pikrammenos.