Thirty accused of fraud in hospital equipment probe

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eKathimerini — A total of 30 people are to stand trial on fraud-related charges in connection to the sale of orthopedic equipment to Greek hospitals by a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson between 2000 and 2006, according to court documents seen by Kathimerini.

Executives of the company concerned, DePuy, are alleged to have bribed Greek doctors in order to secure the contracts for the equipment. Representatives of the company in Greece, as well as from its UK headquarters, are among those that will go to trial, along with doctors accused of accepting under-the-table payments. The trial is expected to start in the second half of October.

In 2011, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay 76.9 million dollars to US authorities to settle legal action regarding bribery in Greece, Poland, Romania and Iraq.