The pressures he received to confirm false allegations of “novartis bribery” to political figures were described by Professor Nikos Maniadakis in the trial of the two former protected witnesses.

Mr. Maniadakis, a former protected witness in the Novartis case under the code name “Ioannis Anastasiou” who lost his status at the end of 2018, deposited in the One -Member Criminal Court as a suitor of the accused Filistoras Destabasidis and Maria.

In his testimony, Mr. Maniadakis referred to “targeting” as well as Mr Stavros Papastavrou, by then government officials, while referring to a “complaint industry” with successive investigations by SDOE the then head of the Public Administration Inspection, which did not.

He also referred to pressure on America to confirm the allegations of Destampasidis as “Maximos Sarafis” about his involvement in politicians.

The witness, stressing that he was never a consultant to Mr Andreas Loverdou, with whom he was falsely linked to Novartis witnesses, said he had been working with former Minister Mario Salma. “Everyone knew what I was working on, I had nothing to do with drug pricing or decision making. The complaints were false, ”he added.

He also said that the then head of the Greek Department of the Pharmaceutical Industry and former President of the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies Konstantinos Frouzis knew him superficially because of his capacity and that there was no personal or trading relationship.

Referring to investigations into the company’s practices in America, the witness stressed that the research in Greece involved drug pricing and potential politicians, while in the US Novartis was condemned to other issues, irrespective of Greek complaints. As he said, he testified to the US authorities, technical analyzes for drug pricing. He also said that, following Destampasidis allegations, the hitherto good communication in the US changed:

“I was told,” The data changed. Nothing to anyone so we can sit here for ten days if you want “..”

According to the witness, the American study was never adopted “The” Story “set up here.” As he said, all this’ Americans never believed it. What struck me is how all this misinformation was created, and all the facts are available online. “

President: Why are they naming you? Why do they denounce you as a channel?

Witness: This also shows their deception! I was told that they want to condemn Novartis. Sarakis (Protected Ombudsman) told me. And that if we condemn the company “we will get money and eat it in Russia”. He told me “I tell you to work with us so you don’t suffer”. I tell him “I don’t know anything, what can I say?”

The witness fired a fire against the accused Filistoras Destbasidis, saying that after initially he had accused another person (as a channel for alleged bribes), after a year he decided to name him. Referring to the statements made by Destampasidis in court, demonstrating as a source of information Mr. Frouzis, the witness commented:

“I don’t think Frouzis ever told him that he gave me money, because that didn’t happen. What he says, he says as if he had lived them himself – this is the worry. “

Concerning the episodic end of the “protection” given to him, with his arrest at the airport on New Year’s Eve “In front of my minor children” and the persecution of passive bribery, Mr. Maniadakis said: “They just wanted to keep me in the country. They sent a letter to the Rector to dismiss me, I lost my job, all the professional contracts I had abroad were destroyed. I was not allowed to travel, even though I lived in Spain under a witness to public interest, knowing the Spanish authorities. My reputation and work was never restored. “

Asked by Mr Antonis Samaras’ lawyer about what the then -Managing Corruption Public Prosecutor Eleni Touloupakis had told him about the former Prime Minister, Mr. Maniadakis replied:

“They pushed me twice. One in Parliament to proceed with the investigation in a specific direction, to Georgiadis, Stournara and Samara. In GADA, they linked me with Loverdos and used it as a vehicle along with the deposits of “Sarafi” to make it clear that I would be persecuted. “

Ombudsman: What did you say about Mr. Samaras exactly?

Witness: That there is a deposition, that he has received money in suitcases, that there is evidence, etc. Touloupakis told me that.

President: Did you sue the prosecutors?

Witness: No.

The witness, with great charge, testified about what he experienced both in Greece and beyond the Atlantic: “They destroyed my life, my career, searched me as much as anyone else and found nothing. I have gone through eight checks by each institution and everyone was free. I was deprived of my family, my freedom. I was going to university with six police officers. “