Greek opposition parties walked out of Parliament’s preliminary investigating committee on Novartis on Tuesday, accusing the government of lack of seriousness and delaying tactics. Committee members New Democracy, Democratic Alignment (PASOK), To Potami and Centrists’ Union started walking out of Tuesday’s meeting after ruling SYRIZA-ANEL coalition MPs proposed that the ten politicians named in the Novartis case should appear both to testify and to opine on whether the committee had the jurisdiction to proceed with the case or should refer it to a regular court.
IN contrast the opposition parties had proposed that the protected witnesses and the former deputy chief of Novartis Hellas, Konstantinos Frouzis, should testify in front of the committee. Government MPs rejected this proposal.
Communist party KKE had walked out right from the beginning of the committee sessions ten days ago.
Parliament named two former prime ministers and eight former ministers from New Democracy and PASOK in an alleged bribery and money laundering scheme on Novartis pharmaceuticals.
Earlier on Tuesday, when New Democracy had walked out, the prime minister’s office had issued a statement charging the main opposition party with “cheap diversionary tactics to create impressions and cover up an unprecedented scandal”. [with info from amna, ert]
