Greek prosecution of two former protected witnesses in the Novartis case

Decisions and steps

1. September 2025Single-member misdemeanours court of Athens convicts, with suspended terms of 25 and 33 months^S5S9
2. 13 January 2026Convictions for false testimony and false accusation upheld, some counts discontinued, suspended terms of 25 and 28 months^S6

Claims this case bears on

• Unresolved59
  Witness testimony placed before the Greek parliament in 2018 alleged that Novartis bribed ten Greek politicians, including two former prime ministers.
  Press report, 22 February 20188 records citedBribery

Sources

1. S5Tier C Novartis case: Guilty verdict upheld on appeal for Destebasidis and MaraggelisProto Thema. Press report. 13 January 2026.Newsroom report on the second-instance verdict, quoting the prosecutor. Written before sentencing, it gives the first-instance terms of 25 and 33 months.
2. S9Tier C Novartis: Την ενοχή Μαραγγέλη και Δεστεμπασίδη για ψευδή κατάθεση προτείνει η εισαγγελέαςSKAI (Elena Galari). Press report. 27 August 2025.Report of the first-instance prosecutor's proposal at the single-member misdemeanours court. It shows that court did not try the bribery allegations.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
3. S6Tier C Υπόθεση Novartis: Ποινές φυλάκισης με αναστολή, 25 μήνες στον Δεστεμπασίδη και 28 στην ΜαραγγέληProto Thema (Vasiliki Kokkali). Press report. 13 January 2026.Updated report naming the Three-Member Misdemeanours Court of Athens, the persons covered by each conviction, the discontinued counts and the final terms. It is not the judgment.Link working, checked 25 October 2026