Greek prosecutors bring charges over DePuy deals
Greek prosecutors bring corruption charges over state hospital deals with DePuy
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greek prosecutors have brought criminal corruption charges related to state hospital purchases from DePuy, a subsidiary of U.S. healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson.
Court officials said Tuesday that five DePuy officials have been charged with bribery and money laundering over deals between 1998 and 2006.
The names of the five were not released, and it was unclear whether they were still employed by DePuy.
The charges accuse the five of paying more than €16 million ($21.5 million) in bribes to Greek doctors to promote company products.
Eight Greek state hospital doctors — mostly orthopedic specialists — have already been formally accused of taking bribes and money laundering in the same case.
Extravagant healthcare spending contributed significantly to the derailment of Greece's finances. The country now relies on international bailouts.
