Ruling New Democracy will propose the creation of an ad hoc parliamentary committee to investigate the charges against former alternate justice minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos in connection with the Novartis case, ND Parliamentary Group Secretary Stavros Kalafatis said in a written statement on Wednesday. 
ND will not propose an investigation into former prime minister and main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, he clarified, to avoid "poisoning" political life.
"Simply reading the evidence in the case file shows there are clear indications of illegitimate intervention by Mr. Dimitrios Papangelopoulos in justice," Kalafatis said.
"The ND Parliamentary Group, based on the existing evidence in the case file, does not propose the formation of an ad hoc committee for former prime minister Alexis Tsipras. This is the deliberate choice of a responsible political party, according to which former prime ministers cannot be charged without incontrovertible proof. Otherwise, political life in the country is poisoned," the statement added.
Kalafatis said that the ad hoc parliamentary probe that will conduct the preliminary investigation into Papangelopoulos will determine whether parliament is competent to press criminal charges for the offences being investigated. If the committee concludes that this is the case, it will proceed with a legal evaluation and present its report to the plenary.
"At the same time, we will ask that the relevant processes to be carried out with the greatest possible speed, so that there is an immediate and full investigation. Both in connection with the offences allegedly committed and as regards the involvement of any additional persons in this case," he added.
Witnesses testifying in connection with the Novartis investigation have accused Papangelopoulos of putting pressure on justices investigating the Novartis case and attempting to influence the course of the investigation.