Ex-health minister says he welcomes probe into hospital corruption

The vice president of New Democracy, Adonis Georgiadis, said on Monday that he “welcomed” an investigation into corruption at the Henry Dunant Hospital in Athens.

The probe was launched after its former director Andreas Martinis made allegations about the involvement of former conservative health ministers in the sale of the hospital in 2014, including Georgiadis, Andreas Lykourentzos and Makis Voridis.

Georgiadis said in a tweet that the government’s attempt to make a case against him based on the testimony of Martinis was “deplorable.”

Earlier on Monday, Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis submitted to Parliament a case file prepared by prosecutors into the alleged corruption at the hospital. Martinis is in pre-trial custody, accused of embezzling millions of euros in state aid and money laundering. His claims have become the basis of a probe into whether criminal charges should be brought against several former health ministers.