Police has arrested two stretcher-bearers at the public hospital on the island of Lesvos who took bribes from the owner of a funeral parlor to inform him which patients were in critical condition and likely to die. The arrests on Tuesday followed a complaint filed at the local police station. …
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Oncologist demanded bribes from cancer patients to speed up surgeries
An oncologist in Thessaloniki public hospital Theagenio was demanding bribes by his cancer patients in exchange for faster surgeries. His trial was held today. The doctor was arrested in January 2019 with pre-marked banknotes, after a patient complained to authorities that she had to give a bribe to speed up …
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Anti-vaxxers bribe doctors for “vaccination” with water, end up with the real vaccine
Mass fake vaccinations have been taking place in dozens of vaccination centers throughout Greece, media reported on Sunday. The bribe fee for doctors and nurses is apparently 400 euros. the fee is paid is by those who do not want to receive the vaccines against Covid-19 but want to gain …
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Novartis Hellas to pay $225 million to resolve U.S. bribery charges
The U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday that Novartis Hellas, a Greece-based unit of the Swiss drugmaker, entered a deferred prosecution agreement and will pay a $225 million criminal fine. Novartis will also pay $112.8 million to settle related civil charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis …
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Novartis investigation: FBI documents submitted to Greece’s Parliament
Documents of the American justifiable authorities and the FBI that investigated Swiss pharmaceutical company NOVARITS were submitted by the Deputy Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Ioannis Aggelis, to the president and the members of the special parliamentary committee for preliminary examination. The documents had been requested by the special committee, …
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Ex ND Justice Minister: Bribery is minister’s duties
Former Justice Minister Haralambos Athanasiou (ND) stunned Greeks when he openly admitted on Thursday that “kickbacks are among a minister’s duties.” The ex New Democracy minister was speaking live to state broadcaster ERT TV when he made this unbelievable statement. As the topic was the Novartis-Gate, Athanasiou was asked whether …
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Driving licenses at a bribe of €400-€2,500 to Transport Ministry employees
More than 157 people illegally obtained driving licenses after paying a bribe between 400 and 2,500 euros to employees of the Transport Directorate on the island of Corfu, in the Central Greece’s cities of Karditsa, Lamia and Trikala, as well as in Corinth and Lakonia, Peloponnese. In many cases, the …
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PASOK received 16bn Drachmas in funds by private companies, says ex official
“I want to apologize to the Greek people, the voters who supported us, the Greek Justice, and the 12 people who were unwittingly involved in getting the money from Siemens for the party.” Former PASOK official Theodoros Tsoukatos said during his apology in the courtroom handling the bribes SIEMENS paid …
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Hospital doctor arrested for €3,000 in bribes by pauper cancer patient
A chief surgeon at a big hospital in Athens was arrested on Friday, after a cancer patient filed a complaint to police that the doctor had extorted a total of 3,000 euros. The 50-year-old doctor is well-known in Athens and is working at the Ippokrateio Public Hospital. During a police …
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Ex Defense Minister Papantoniou remanded in custody for bribes in frigates contract
After a marathon deposition of 20 hours, former Defense Minister Yiannos Papantoniou was remanded in custody late on Tuesday. Handcuffs were passed also to his wife Stavroula Kourakou. Both face charges for money laundering of 2.800.000 Swiss Francs (2.4 million euros) from kickbacks from the time he was Defense Minister …
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Zaev wins FYROM’s name change vote and sets Greece’s coalition on fire
The Parliament of FYROM approved the proposal to start the process to rename the country’s name into “North Macedonia.” The voting Friday midnight was just the first but important step on the way to NATO and European Union accession. However, the process is lengthy before FYROM can ratify the Prespes …
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SIEMENS bribes: Athens court finds ex PASOK minister Mantelis guilty of money laundering
A never ending legal story finally ended – or not? A criminal appeals court in Athens found former PASOK Transportation Minister, Tassos Mantelis, guilty of money laundering for having accepted bribes of 450,000 DM (230,000 euros) by SIEMENS. The court, however, lowered the prison sentence imposed on him to five …
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Greek Parliament halts Novartis probe, send case file back to Justice
The Greek Parliament has halted probe into Novartis bribes case in which ten politicians are allegedly involved. The Parliamentary investigation committee consisting of coalition government lawmakers decided that the Parliament does not have the jurisdiction to investigate the money laundering and bribery claims. The case file was sent back to …
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Athens METRO: German companies bribed Greek state officials & political parties to secure projects
Money stuck in suitcases changed hands, bribes based on a fixed percentage were paid and major political parties received a share from the illegal money as ‘donation’ during the construction of the Metro in Athens during 2003-2007. German authorities sent to the Corruption Prosecutor in Athens a file full of …
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Ex Health Minister says he was offered kickbacks by pharma for vaccines
Former New Democracy Health Minister, Giorgos Sourlas, said he was offered kickbacks by a pharmaceutical company in order to market vaccines. Speaking to state ERT TV, the former minister said he was offered 500 million Drachmas* in order to market last generation vaccines for hepatitis. “It happened once, I was …
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Novartis-Gate: 2 Prime Ministers, 8 Ministers involved in Greece’s Kickback Scandal
The names of two prime ministers and eight ministers of Health, Finance and Development are involved in the Novartis bribe scandal, media report Monday afternoon, after the prosecutor decided to forward the investigation findings to the Greek Parliament. The scandal is estimated to be worth 85 billions euros. According to …
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Fakelaki: Health Minister claims 80% of doctors receive money under the hand
Greece’s doctors are up in arms against deputy health minister Pavlos Polakis, who claimed that 80% of doctors working at public hospitals receive money under the hand by patients. The Athens Medical Association called on the Minister to submit evidence about his claims. The notorious and decades-long established practice Greeks …
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Rouvikonas anarchists threaten hospital doctor to “cut his hand off” if he takes bribes (fakelaki) again
Members of the anarchist group Rouvikonas raided the office of a clinic director in Public Hospital Evaggelismos in downtown Athens on Wednesday. Accusing him of taking money under the hand (fakelaki) by patients, they threatened him they “would cut his hand off” if he would do it again. In a …
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Tsipras asks Swiss President to release millions euros seized from Greeks’ accounts in Switzerland
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has asked Doris Leuthard, the President of Swiss Federation for the release of Greek assets in Switzerland. The amount totaling 30 million Swiss francs (27.5 million euros) was blocked by Swiss prosecutors in 2012, when the scandal of bribery involving Greek politicians broke out. Tsipras …
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Greeks still hostile to structural reforms – Myth or Reality?
To tell you the truth when I read the title of the article below, my brain hit the wall of my own prejudice. “Greeks still hostile to reforms despite economic depression” I read on a German state media outlet and much to my shame I thought: “Oh, it’s the German …
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