Swiss drugs giant Novartis likely bribed 'thousands' in Greece: minister

[nitpicker]

http://www.france24.com/en/20170407-swiss-drugs-giant-novartis-likely-bribed-thousands-greece-minister

07 April 2017 - 12H40
Swiss drugs giant Novartis likely bribed 'thousands' in Greece: minister

ATHENS (AFP) -

Greece's justice minister on Friday said Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis had likely bribed "thousands" of doctors and civil servants to promote its products, amid an ongoing probe. "A great number of state officials are implicated... from what I'm beginning to realise from reports, it must be thousands who were directly bribed from Switzerland," Stavros Kontonis told state agency ANA radio. "National health service doctors and state officials were bribed to promote drugs in an illegal and anti-scientific manner," Kontonis said.

Scores of people have been questioned in a probe ongoing since last year, with anti-corruption prosecutors also visiting Novartis's premises near Athens earlier this year to gather evidence.

The case gained attention following a suicide attempt in Athens on New Year's Day, by a Novartis manager. That attempt was thwarted by police and according to the judicial source, the manager was one of those questioned over alleged corruption.

Kontonis on Friday said Novartis continued to sell "overpriced" drugs even after the country was hit by economic crisis in 2010 and huge cuts were imposed on state budgets, leaving many Greeks without access to affordable medicine.
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