Samaras

The Supreme Court's prosecutor's office sent to Parliament on Friday a file on the ongoing inquiry into the handling of the Novartis case, so that MPs can decide whether to lift the immunity of politicians named. 

Supreme Court deputy prosecutor Ioannis Angelis claimed, during more than five hours of testimony on Thursday, that an unnamed politician dubbed "Rasputin" played a pivotal role in influencing the course of an investigation into the alleged bribery of politicians by the Swiss drugs manufacturer Novartis. 

An investigation into the claims of politicians implicated in the Novartis bribery scandal that the case was fabricated and politically motivated moved another step forward on Tuesday with the testimony of former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras.

Former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday submitted a 32-page memo to the Supreme Court prosecutor investigating the judicial handling of the Novartis bribery case.

Former premier Antonis Samaras is to testify before a Supreme Court prosecutor on Tuesday in an ongoing probe into the handling of bribery claims against high-ranking politicians.

After two hours of testimony before a prosecutor on Monday, during which he elaborated on his claim that a judicial probe into the alleged bribery of Greek politicians by Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis had been fabricated along with the testimonies of witnesses, European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos expressed his faith in the Greek justice system. 

European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos was to face a prosecutor on Monday to elaborate on his claim that a judicial probe into the alleged bribery of Greek politicians by Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis, which implicated him and another nine Greek politcians, had been fabricated along with the testimonies of witnesses. 

Greek politicians whose names have been implicated in the Novartis bribery investigation without any evidence linking them to any wrongdoing are to be summoned for testimony next week by prosecutors probing the case, it emerged on Wednesday.

Former conservative premier Antonis Samaras said Tuesday that a decision by the corruption prosecutor's office to shelve the case against him concerning his alleged involvement in the Novartis case signals the beginning of an investigation into the "real, serious and dark scandal" surrounding the inquiry.

Greek corruption prosecutors on Tuesday shelved a part of the investigation into the alleged bribery case involving Swiss drugmaker Novartis which concerns former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras, after no evidence was found to support the accusations.