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Wednesday, April 24, 2024 | Back issues
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Greek Ex-Prime Minister Files Complaint Against Current Leader

A Greek former prime minister accused of involvement in a pharmaceutical bribery scandal has filed a criminal complaint against current Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and another six people, including the deputy justice minister and three prosecutors.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek former prime minister accused of involvement in a pharmaceutical bribery scandal has filed a criminal complaint against current Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and another six people, including the deputy justice minister and three prosecutors.

Antonis Samaras, conservative prime minister from 2012-15, filed the suit Thursday alleging a series of crimes, including abuse of power, defamation, violation of duty and perjury.

His move comes after Greece's left-led government requested parliament investigate accusations that 10 senior former officials, including Samaras, were involved in bribes allegedly paid by Swiss drug-maker Novartis to boost drug sales and prices.

The investigation, which targets several top opposition figures, heightens the stakes in an increasingly acrimonious face-off between the government and leading opposition parties, which accuse it of using the judiciary to further political ends.

Categories / Government, International, Politics

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