In a sharp political escalation on Thursday, July 23, 2026, Health Minister and New Democracy Deputy President Adonis Georgiadis launched a new, forceful attack against independent MP Marios Salmas—responding to Salmas’s recent calls to reopen the Novartis corruption investigation. In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), Georgiadis accused Salmas of playing a central role in initiating the alleged Novartis bribery scheme back in 2016, during the SYRIZA-led government.
Salmas Allegedly Sought U.S. Witness Protection—and Payment
According to Georgiadis, Salmas attempted to join the U.S. federal witness protection program—not as a whistleblower, but to claim a multi-million-euro financial reward. Citing documents submitted during the trial of former protected witnesses, the minister claimed that Salmas had formally applied for protected status in the United States, but was ultimately rejected. ‘The Americans deemed him untrustworthy and expelled him from the program,’ Georgiadis wrote, adding that Salmas failed to secure either legal protection or the payout he allegedly sought.
From Accuser to Accused
Georgiadis further asserted that after failing to gain U.S. protection, Salmas himself faced prosecution over his involvement in the alleged conspiracy. ‘He was later charged for participating in the very fraud he initially helped orchestrate,’ the minister stated, framing Salmas not as a reformer but as an active instigator.
Ties to EOPYY Debt Write-Off
The post also linked the Novartis affair to a controversial 2019 decision by the board of EOPYY—the Greek National Organization for Healthcare Provision. Georgiadis claimed the then-SYRIZA government erased a €176,677.07 debt owed by Salmas to the organization shortly before leaving office. He described the move as a ‘scandalous decision’ and implied it was part of a political quid pro quo.
‘He Dared to Accuse Me’
The minister concluded his post with a pointed personal remark, underscoring the intensity of the rift: ‘This is the man who dared accuse me.’ The exchange marks another flare-up in Greece’s long-running political feud over the Novartis case—a sprawling investigation into alleged bribes paid by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant to Greek officials and politicians between 2006 and 2015.