Novartis case a 'violation of the institutions,' says Venizelos

Former PASOK minister Evangelos Venizelos on Wednesday slammed the Novartis bribery case brought against 10 high-ranking politicians under the previous administration as a "violation of the institutions."

In his testimony to a Supreme Court prosecutor investigating the handling of witness claims that the 10 politicians took bribes from the Swiss medicine producer in return for preferential treatment, Venizelos dismissed the case - which has been consigned to the archive over a lack of evidence - as a "purported political scandal."

Venizelos and other politicians who had been implicated in the 2018 case - including former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras, who testified on Tuesday, and European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, who testified on Monday - claim that the accusations against them were an attempt at a frame-up orchestrated by members...