The group general counsel of Swiss pharma company, Novartis, has stepped down from his role, taking personal responsibility for what he has described as the ‘erroneous’ agreement made with Essential Consultants, which is owned by Michael Cohen (President Trump’s attorney).
Exit
Felix R. Ehrat announced his decision to retire from his position after it had been revealed that payments from Novartis to Essential Consultants were forming part of the investigations being performed by US special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election.
“Although the contract was legally in order, it was an error,” said Ehrat in a press release from Novartis. “As a co-signatory with our former CEO, I take personal responsibility to bring the public debate on this matter to an end.”
Jörg Reinhardt, chairman of the board of directors for Novartis confirmed the board’s and executive committee’s respect for Ehrat’s decision to retire. He stated: “I appreciate Felix's decision even as we regret his departure. We thank him for his contributions to the company as general counsel.”
Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis added: “During his term as group general counsel, Felix was instrumental in further developing the global Legal Department of Novartis, and he played a key role in the executive committee with his proven expertise. Furthermore, he was a dedicated representative of the company's interests in important national organisations such as economiesuisse, SwissHoldings and Avenir Suisse. The Novartis leadership owes him considerable thanks for his many contributions and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.”
The current chief ethics, risk and compliance officer — Shannon Thyme Klinger — will be appointed to the position of group general counsel, effective from 1 June.