‘No threat’ to Novartis witnesses

The two prosecutors who decided last week to remove the protective status of two key witnesses in the Novartis case said that there was no indication that they had been the subject of intimidation or retaliation. 

They also said that their credibility had been compromised and did not make a "substantial contribution" to the investigation into the practices of the pharmaceutical industry in the country. 

The two prosecutors who examined the requests of former prime minister Antonis Samaras, Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras and former socialist minister Andreas Loverdos, who had been implicated in the case, found "no suspicion of intimidation or retaliation after a reasonable period of investigation and, in fact, the name of the witness (Ekaterini Kelesi) was unfortunately revealed."

"We are of the opinion that there is no reason to maintain the...