Former PASOK president Evangelos Venizelos made a sharp statement commenting on the latest developments in the Novartis case. “The conviction of the hooded witnesses (now officially perjurers) in the Novartis conspiracy is a step that was taken unfortunately with great delay. What is institutionally deficient and unpleasant is that the orchestrators and first violins of the conspiracy have escaped judicial control.”
Novartis: The imposed sentences
The Athens Single-Member Misdemeanor Court imposed a prison sentence of 25 months on Filistoros Destempasidis and 33 months on Maria Marangeli, with a three-year suspension. Both were granted the mitigating factor of prior lawful conduct. The prosecutor noted regarding F. Destempasidis that “recognizing the mitigating factor of non-base motives comes in complete contradiction with guilt for knowingly false testimony, so it should not be recognized. However, he should be granted the mitigating factor of prior lawful conduct, he was here at every hearing, helped, has a clean criminal record.”
Regarding Maria Marangeli, the prosecutor emphasized that “the defendant may not have suffered the ordeal of the procedure, however she appeared to defend herself, I don’t have specific information about her life, but she should be granted the mitigating factor of lawful conduct.”
Novartis: The charges
The two former protected witnesses were found guilty of false accusation and continuous false testimony:
-F. Destempasidis was found guilty of false accusation against Adonis Georgiadis, Andreas Loverdo, and Nikos Maniadakis.
-M. Marangeli was convicted of false accusation against Adonis Georgiadis, Ioannis Stournaras, Andreas Loverdo, Marios Salmas, and Antonis Samaras.
Court statements
The prosecutor had requested their conviction for false testimony but their acquittal for false accusation. In their defenses, they insisted that their testimonies were based on information they claimed to have received from former Novartis Hellas executive Konstantinos Frouzis – something he categorically denied.
Reactions after the decision
Lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos stated: “Moral and political vindication for Adonis Georgiadis. The recruited witnesses were convicted of falsely accusing and falsely testifying against him. The decision shields Democracy against those who will attempt in the future to criminalize the country’s political life using false witnesses.”
