Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis testified Monday in the trial of two former protected witnesses accused of falsely implicating ten political figures in a major bribery scandal involving Novartis. The case, which first surfaced in 2017, resurfaced after the witnesses’ identities were revealed earlier this year.
The witnesses, once known as “Aikaterini Kelesi” and “Maximos Sarafis,” have been identified as Maria Marangeli, a former secretary to Novartis’ Greece CEO, and Philistor Destempasides, a former manager. Both became protected witnesses during a U.S.-linked corruption probe into Novartis.
A May 2024 law allowed prosecutors to lift their anonymity. The two now face charges of false testimony and filing a false report.
Testifying in Athens, Georgiadis—one of the accused politicians—called the case a political setup by the former SYRIZA government.
“This is a terrible slander against me by people who did not know what they were saying in order to take the money of the American state and attack the opponents of the then government. I have been bullied a lot for this story,” he said.
The original scandal drew global attention when Novartis paid $347 million in 2020 to settle U.S. bribery charges, with alleged misconduct in Greece estimated to have cost taxpayers €3 billion.
However, no Greek politicians were ever charged. A special court acquitted key figures, including former anti-corruption prosecutor Eleni Touloupaki. A €214 million lawsuit filed by then-Health Minister Thanos Plevris in 2022 remains unresolved.
The case continues to stir political debate. Tensions flared during Georgiadis’ testimony as he pressed Destempasides to name who allegedly directed him. A separate clash with Marangeli’s lawyer was later defused.
Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, also implicated, praised the end of witness protections, saying it would “reveal the truth about the Novartis conspiracy.” Georgiadis added that the witnesses “couldn’t have conceived of such monstrous lies on their own.”
