Fiery exchanges in House before vote on Novartis bribery probe

Greek MPs were poised to vote in the early hours of Thursday morning to vote on whether 10 Greek politicians alleged to have accepted bribes from Swiss drugs manufacturer Novartis should face investigation by a House committee. 

The voting followed several hours of vehement debate involving the politicians named in the contentious prosecutors' report as well as party leaders. 

Addressing the House, former conservative premier Antonis Samaras referred to a "ridiculous" case file. "I did not come here to defend myself, I came here to accuse," Samaras said. "Every government can call on fake witnesses to tarnish its rivals," he said, noting that a such a practice signaled the "end of urban democracy."  

Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras, who served as Greece's finance minister from 2012 to 2014, dismissed the allegations as "shameful slander" but called for...