Today, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Novartis AG (“Novartis”), a global pharmaceutical and healthcare company based in Switzerland, agreed to pay over $225 million to resolve FCPA charges for bribery in Greece. The SEC sanctioned Novartis approximately $85 million bribery that took place in Greece. The total sanctions, with interest, are over $300 million.
Whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn of the U.S. based firm, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, serves as an attorney for confidential and anonymous Greek whistleblowers. Kohn released the following statement:
“The confidential and anonymous Greek whistleblowers who documented these crimes are heroes. They put their reputations and careers at risk to inform law enforcement about widespread bribery schemes in Greek healthcare programs. Even today, their safety is under threat from corrupt officials who stole from the health care system and took bribes.”
“The government of Greece must immediately stop retaliatory actions against the people they think are the whistleblowers. Instead, the Greek government must publicly hail the whistleblowers as the heroes they are.
“The SEC and DOJ sanctions should serve as a wakeup call throughout Europe and the entire international community. Whistleblowers can confidentially and anonymously report bribery and hold multinational corporations accountable. The time has come for the millionaires and billionaires, who profit from bribery and undermine the rule of law by corrupting democratic institutions to be held fully accountable.
“The SEC and DOJ worked effectively with the whistleblowers. This case once again demonstrates the effectiveness of the Dodd-Frank Act and U.S. whistleblower laws in holding corrupt officials and corporations accountable.”
Based on the sanctions issued today, the total breakdown in fines and penalties paid by Novartis for FCPA violations in Greece are as follows:
SEC: $85.667 million
DOJ – $225 million
Total: $310.667 million
See:
SEC press release: SEC Charges Novartis AG with FCPA Violations
DOJ Deferred Prosecution Agreement
International Scope of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FAQs)