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"In
the framework of a judicial probe that was ordered in December,
prosecutors raided the offices of Novartis over the last few
days to search for possible bribery," said the official, who
declining to be identified.
The investigation was ordered after the country's justice
minister responded to media reports alleging bribes by Novartis
to doctors and public officials.
"The prosecutors do not have any other evidence apart from the
reports and have asked U.S. judicial authorities for
assistance," the court official said.
In Switzerland, Novartis said it was aware of the reports from
Greece and was seeking further information.
"We are fully cooperating with requests from local and foreign
authorities. Novartis is committed to the highest standards of
ethical business conduct and regulatory compliance in all
aspects of its work and takes any allegation of misconduct
extremely seriously," a company statement said.
The Swiss drugmaker is fighting a widening lawsuit by U.S.
prosecutors who allege its sales force ran a decade-long doctor
kickback scheme involving sham events that led to overcharging
the federal government.
The drugmaker has disputed the allegations, which were filed in
2013, but faces an investigation in Turkey after an anonymous
whistleblower alleged the company paid bribes there through a
consulting firm to secure business advantages worth an estimated
$85 million.
In 2015 Novartis paid $390 million to settle U.S. allegations
that it used kickbacks to specialty pharmacies to
inappropriately push the sales of its drugs.
(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos and Lefteris Papadimas;
additional reporting by Michael Shields in Zurich; editing by
Jason Neely and Alexandra Hudson)
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