The Economic Prosecutor’s Office has put an end to the status of judicial protection and anonymity of the two protected witnesses in the highly acclaimed Novartis case.

According to information, the judicial protection of the two protected witnesses is stopped, following the suggestion of the assistant prosecutor Eleni Papadopoulos who serves in the Economic Prosecutor’s Office, while the status of their protection from criminal prosecutions is also suspended.

The protected witnesses for whom the status is lifted are the one known as “Aikaterini Kelesi” and the so-called “Maximos Sarafis”.

This decision is expected to cause a series of developments as politicians who had been mentioned by the two protected witnesses, including the former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, the Governor of the Bank of Greece Giannis Stournaras, the Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis and the former Minister Andreas Loverdos are expected to take legal action against them.

It should be noted that a third witness who was protected has already declassified himself and is no longer protected.

Samaras: The time of the truth is coming to the end, for everything and for everyone

The reaction of former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to the financial prosecutor’s decision according to which the witness protection status is revoked was immediate.

In his statement, Mr. Samaras said that “the decision of the Court is particularly important. Because the way is now wide open for the full and official disclosure of the Novartis plot”.

He added that “the causes and the protagonists of this wretchedness will be revealed. I am very happy about this development. The moment of truth is coming. Until the end. For everything – and for everyone”.

Loverdos: “Greece is a State of Law”

“The time of truth is approaching,” emphasizes Andreas Loverdos in his post after the removal of witness protection in the Novartis case.

My choice to trust Justice and not hide behind parliamentary privileges was unshakable. I went through a thousand toils, sufferings and sacrifices but Justice shone. The time of truth is approaching,” he notes.

The post:

Georgiadis: The main thing here is to reveal who planted them

“Today’s decision of the Economic Prosecutor’s Office to – finally – remove the protection from the two slanderers, who falsely accused me and my other 9 colleagues about Novartis, is a day of vindication. But the personal element recedes before the interest of the Republic. The main thing here is not to punish them, these will be decided by the Justice in an institutional way. The main thing here is to reveal who planted them, because it is impossible that they came up with such monstrous lies on their own. Clarifying this aspect is the only way to never repeat the instrumentalization of institutions for Political Purposes in the future. This concerns all Greek citizens and not just us 10”.

Who are the protected witnesses?

The identity of the protected witnesses is revealed in a document signed by the Financial Crimes Prosecutor Eleni G. Papadopoulou. In the document, referring to her witnesses Novartis case with the code name “Maximos Sarafis” and “Aikaterini Kelesi”, the names “Filistor Destebasidis” and “Maria Marangelis” are mentioned.

More specifically, the document states:

In continuation of order no. 1987/2024 of the Head of the Economic Crime Department of the Athens Appeals Prosecutor’s Office and order no. 2081/2024 of your order, I know that I issued them with no. AP 7 and 8/2024, respectively, provisions for the repeal of the provisions no. 12/2017 and 1/2018 of the former Assistant Prosecutor for Anti-Corruption Crimes concerning the public interest witnesses codenamed “Aikaterini Kelesi” and “Maximos Sarafis”.

I am attaching copies of the above provisions and I inform you that the real details of the witnesses are Maria MARANGELI of Kleanthi … and Philistor DESTEMBASIDIS of Charalambous…”.