The Justice Department also found that the current and former Novartis subsidiaries conducted a scheme to falsely record improper payment related to the bribery.
The DOJ charged Novartis Greece with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and one count of conspiracy to violate the books and records provision of the FCPA.
The Justice Department also charged Alcon with conspiracy to violate the books and records provision of the FCPA.
“Novartis AG’s subsidiaries profited from bribes that induced medical professionals, hospitals, and clinics to prescribe Novartis-branded pharmaceuticals and use Alcon surgical products, and they falsified their books and records to conceal those bribes,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the DOJ’s Criminal Division.
On the other hand, the SEC launched a parallel investigation and determined the global pharmaceutical company’s current and former subsidiary engaged in schemes to make improper payments or to provide benefits to public and private healthcare providers in South Korea, Vietnam, and Greece.
