Samaras Requests the Revelation of Identities of Maximos Sarafis and Aikaterini Kelesi in the Novartis Case

The former prime minister accompanied his request with a supplementary memorandum that includes new data revealed in Parliament, suggesting that these specific witnesses, along with their lawyer Pavlos Sarakis, had financial benefits from the Novartis case, an element that is incompatible with their protection status.

Mr. Samaras’s Statement:

On June 27, 2024, former Prime Minister Mr. A. Samaras submitted an application to the Financial Crimes Prosecutor by Article 79 of Law 5090/2024 and Article 218, paragraph 7 CPC. He requested the disclosure of the identities of the “protected” witnesses codenamed “MAXIMOS SARAFIS” and “AKATERINI KELESI” in the NOVARTIS case. In his application, he demanded the declassification of the above witnesses as public interest witnesses, the removal of their protection, and the withdrawal of his imprisonment against them for false testimony and slanderous defamation. This application is currently pending with the competent prosecutor.

In addition to the above application, a supplementary memorandum was submitted after revelations in Parliament about the collection of a monetary fee by their lawyer. This reinforces the belief that the above witnesses received a large amount of money for their testimony. It thus becomes evident that their designation as “protected” was inappropriate from the outset.

It is recalled that last week, Kyriakos Velopoulos, president of Hellenic Solution, reported to the Plenary of Parliament that he expelled MP Pavlos Sarakis from his party because, among other things, Sarakis took 30 million euros from the American government as a fee for his services in the Novartis case.

Velopoulos’s statement caused a series of reactions, with the Minister of Justice, Giorgos Floridis, noting: “I hope that at some point we will find out what services were offered by the deputy to those who gave him 30 million euros. Here, some appeared, preaching that the truth would shine forth. We learned the truth. It was a farce. But this ‘fight’ had an amazing fee of 30 million euros, as the president of the Hellenic Solution told us. So we will wait to find out what services were offered by whom and in what way.” ND parliamentary representative Thanos Pleuris explained that Velopoulos’s statement is yet another proof that the “hooded” witnesses obtained illegal financial benefits from the case and therefore their true identities must be revealed. “After this public statement by the leader of a party within Parliament, the judiciary will assess whether protected witnesses who have received 30 million euros with their lawyer can remain under this protection status or if the protection should be lifted,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis, in a post on “X,” emphasized: “The relevant statement by Mr. Velopoulos creates new data regarding the protection of witnesses, as this complaint proves that the law has been violated and their protection must be immediately lifted.”

It should be noted that Mr. Sarakis also confirmed his cooperation and remuneration from the American authorities.

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