Novartis

Former alternate justice minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos hit back on Thursday over allegations that he attempted to influence an ongoing inquiry into the alleged bribery scandal involving Swiss drugs manufacturer Novartis to incriminate political rivals.

Greek Parliament is reportedly expected to propose the formation of a House committee to investigate the handling by former Justice Minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos of the alleged bribery scandal involving prominent politicians and the Novartis pharmaceutical company.

The Greek government is considering separating the case file on the alleged intervention of former justice minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos and former prime minister Alexis Tsipras in the ongoing Novartis inquiry, and agreeing to the creation of a special investigative committee only for the former, according to information.

An investigation into the handling of a controversial judicial investigation that pointed to the alleged bribery of Greek politicians by Swiss pharmaceuticals firm Novartis got under way on Tuesday with the testimony of the country's top corruption prosecutor Eleni Touloupaki. 

Parliament is on Wednesday expected to formally announce that it has received the case file of the inquiry into the handling of the Novartis case from the Supreme Court.

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. 

Supreme Court deputy prosecutor Ioannis Angelis, who claims that the original Novartis investigation into alleged bribery of politicians and doctors by the Swiss company was mismanaged and undermined by the interventions of an unnamed politician, started testifying on Thursday.

Former socialist finance minister Evangelos Venizelos on Wednesday described the Novartis bribery investigation, in which he and another nine politicians were implicated though no incriminating evidence has yet been produced, as a "violation of the institutions."

After years of delays, a corruption prosecutor in Athens investigating an alleged bribery scandal involving Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has asked 15 executives of the parent company and its local branch to testify as suspects in the case.