By Penelope Galliou

Six years after the formation of the controversial case file against ten political figures, for their alleged involvement in the “Novartis” case, causing a political “earthquake” in the political scene at the time, during the SYRIZA-ANEL government, the crew of time came yesterday to overturn the facts , for one more time in the said much-lauded case and as everything shows that the accusers are protected witnesses, it is not excluded that these defendants will become.

The decision “station” – as it was characterized – of the Economic Prosecutor’s Office to remove the protection status of the two protected witnesses of the case, gives a new dimension to the case.

A development which triggered from the first minutes it became known, a storm of reactions but also a wave of satisfaction, especially of the persons who were slandered and defiled by the specific protected witnesses.

Besides, all the political figures involved, from the beginning of their involvement in the case, talked about an orchestrated conspiracy, with instigators and political motives. “Now the time has come for them to be revealed by name, in addition to the protected witnesses, and the “orchestrators” of this massive and coordinated slander, which at the time SYRIZA government officials characterized it as the biggest scandal since the creation of the Greek state”, they commented, broadcasting justification and satisfaction government factors.

Under the new circumstances, the way is now open for the political figures who were tarnished through unsupported statements in the “Novartis” case, to turn legally against the two protected witnesses, who implicated them and accused them of being bribers of the multinational pharmaceutical company.

After all, the former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, as well as Adonis Georgiadis and Andreas Loverdos as well as the Governor of the Bank of Greece Giannis Stournaras had already turned against the protection regime of the two witnesses.

The removal of witness protection is a recent regulation that resulted from the change of the Criminal Code and has been in effect for only five months, since last May, and has since given the competent prosecutor the opportunity to review the protection status and decide either on the removal, or for its continuation.

“The appropriateness and necessity of the protection measures are constantly examined by the competent prosecutor, who may, at any time, in the event that they have been imposed by his order, modify or revoke them, or otherwise recommend their modification or revocation, when, at his discretion, the reasons for their enforcement are different or disappear,” the government representative, who described the decision as “a stop, removing the “hoods” from the false witnesses of Novartis, is resistant it will really shine” concluded Mr. Marinakis in the announcement he issued.

Antonis Samaras also called the prosecutor’s decision “particularly important” because the way is now wide open for the full and official disclosure of the Novartis scandal, as he noted, adding that “The causes and protagonists of this wretchedness will be revealed. I am particularly happy about this evolution. The time of truth is coming. Until the end. For everything – and for everyone!”.

Adonis Georgiadis also spoke about a “day of justice”, commenting in his post on social media that “The main thing here is not to punish them, this will be decided by the Justice in an institutional way. The main thing here is to reveal who put them , because it is impossible that they came up with such monstrous lies on their own”, emphasized the Minister of Health, underlining that “The clarification of this aspect is the only way to never repeat the instrumentalization of institutions for political purposes in the future”.

Panagiotis Pikramenos also appeared satisfied, who stated in a conversation with journalists that he welcomed the decision “with enthusiasm”.

Andreas Loverdos also commented on the decision with a post, stressing that “Greece is a State of Law. My choice to trust the Justice and not hide behind parliamentary privileges was unshakable. I went through a thousand labors, sufferings and sacrifices but the Justice shone. The time is coming of the truth” concluded Mr. Loverdos.

It is recalled that the controversial case file of 2018, with the accusations of bribery, passive bribery and infidelity in relation to the service, concerned ten political figures from the period 2006-2015, namely the two former prime ministers Antonis Samaras and Panagiotis Pikramenos and the former ministers Giannis Stournaras, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Adonis Georgiadis, Evangelos Venizelos, Andreas Lykourentzos, Marios Salmas, Andreas Loverdos and George Koutroumanis.

Although, the case turned out to be “coal” after the case files for the political figures were entered in the missing evidence file, however, the mud and slander had already targeted these persons, due to the statements of the protected witnesses, who will now be called to account in Greek justice, after the appeal against them, of the persons involved.