The decline of the judicial system in Greece continues under the corrupted Mitsotakis regime. The situation now resembles a third-world country.
We saw recently that the regime went after top investigative journalists who, were investigating big scandals and especially the Novartis scandal. Now, the regime turned against the top anti-corruption prosecutor who was investigating the scandal! Eleni Touloupaki has been called yesterday by the judicial authorities to testify as a defendant!
As has been mentioned:
While Novartis agreed in 2020 to pay US$347 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commision over violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, in which it acknowledged making illegal payments to Greek healthcare providers and officials, Greece itself did little to hold the Swiss pharmaceutical company and the recipients of the bribes to account.
Instead, prosecutor Eleni Touloupaki who was investigating Novartis and Greek top politicians, including two former prime ministers, had the case removed from her.
Instead, prosecutor Eleni Touloupaki who was investigating Novartis and Greek top politicians, including two former prime ministers, had the case removed from her.
To add insult to injury, Touloupaki was accused of abuse of power in another case and had a criminal case opened against her. The same Greek-Israeli businessman that accused Papadakou, accused her for extortion as well.
Touloupaki told OCCRP at the time that ever since she started probing the Novartis bribery case, she has been politically persecuted as a result. “They managed to turn the auditors into defendants in order to stop any judicial investigation,” she told OCCRP in 2020.
Touloupaki told OCCRP at the time that ever since she started probing the Novartis bribery case, she has been politically persecuted as a result. “They managed to turn the auditors into defendants in order to stop any judicial investigation,” she told OCCRP in 2020.
In February 2020, the Greek MEP with the SYRIZA party, Stelios Kouloglou, officially informed the European Parliament about the case:
The Hellenic Parliament’s ongoing investigation into the Novartis scandal has revealed alarming shortcomings concerning both the treatment of whistleblowers and protected witnesses in Greece and the Greek justice system more generally.
The Greek Government is violating the protection provisions of Directive (EU) 2019/1937 by doing nothing to prohibit acts of retaliation from being made against the whistleblowers who reported serious foul play on the part of Novartis in Greece. The whistleblowers have faced constant harassment in the press and attempts have been made to reveal their identities. Direct threats have been made by government ministers from the New Democracy party.
Eleni Touloupaki, the chief prosecutor of the judicial investigation into the scandal, has also faced considerable harassment and pressure to step down. This has recently culminated in attempts to have her called as a criminal defendant before the Hellenic Parliament special committee dedicated to the Novartis case, casting serious doubt over the independence of the Greek justice system.
1. Will the Commision seek to ensure that the Greek Government adheres to the protections for whistleblowers laid down in Directive (EU) 2019/1937?
2. Is it concerned about the ongoing violations of the principle of judicial independence in Greece?
The Greek Government is violating the protection provisions of Directive (EU) 2019/1937 by doing nothing to prohibit acts of retaliation from being made against the whistleblowers who reported serious foul play on the part of Novartis in Greece. The whistleblowers have faced constant harassment in the press and attempts have been made to reveal their identities. Direct threats have been made by government ministers from the New Democracy party.
Eleni Touloupaki, the chief prosecutor of the judicial investigation into the scandal, has also faced considerable harassment and pressure to step down. This has recently culminated in attempts to have her called as a criminal defendant before the Hellenic Parliament special committee dedicated to the Novartis case, casting serious doubt over the independence of the Greek justice system.
1. Will the Commision seek to ensure that the Greek Government adheres to the protections for whistleblowers laid down in Directive (EU) 2019/1937?
2. Is it concerned about the ongoing violations of the principle of judicial independence in Greece?
After the latest developments, Kouloglou requested a hearing from the European Parliament anti-corruption committee, for Touloupaki.
Now that Mitsotakis regime sees its popularity falling rapidly (as it shows its real face through a new round of corruption and inability to deal with big problems, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the big rise of the prices in basic goods, etc.), it becomes even more authoritarian. The regime controls all the information of the mainstream media and press and seeks to suppress social media and independent voices (including investigative journalists) who expose its corruption.
It seems that the regime also controls justice.
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