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Greek health minister scandal intensifies

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2026-07-26 14:36 UTC → 2026-07-27 11:46 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The controversy surrounding Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis and pharmaceutical firm Novartis has continued to dominate Greek politics since late June 2026. Independent MP Mario Salmas has repeatedly alleged that Georgiadis asked Novartis executive Konstantinos Frouzis to fund a €2,000 advertising banner for a website linked to a journalist’s relative and that he attempted to shield protected witness Nikos Maniadas from prosecutors. Georgiadis denies the claims, says the messages are already part of the court file, and maintains the investigation is closed with no new evidence. Parliament lifted Salmas’s immunity on 22 July, clearing the way for legal proceedings. Opposition parties PASOK and ELAS have called for Georgiadis’s resignation, accusing the New Democracy government of a cover‑up, while the government says the case was settled. On 24 July Georgiadis accused SYRIZA and Salmas of politicising the revived Novartis case, called the debate “reheated food,” and warned that a prolonged government vacuum would damage the economy. He reiterated his claim that a €176,677 EOPYY fine imposed on a diagnostic centre linked to Salmas was erased in 2019, promised its reinstatement with interest, and blamed SYRIZA MP Pavlos Polakis for the cancellation. Salmas responded by alleging falsified documents, threatening legal action, and criticizing the minister’s handling of the affair. On 25 July Georgiadis posted a detailed chronology on X, alleging that the fine’s removal cost EOPYY €316,200 and demanding explanations from Polakis. These developments were cited among four separate crises confronting the Greek administration—including alleged illegal recycling‑house schemes, a bomb investigation near the Tempi railway line, and a Justice Ministry legislative amendment criticized by judges—highlighting a broader climate of turbulence and contested accountability in Athens.

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