“The rest of the procedure will show that the companies are in no way responsible”
A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday revived legal action against AstraZeneca, Pfizer and other companies on the grounds that their contracts with the Iraqi health ministry allegedly helped finance the terrorism that killed Americans during the war in Iraq, the news agency reported Reuters.
The plaintiffs claim that the Hezbollah-sponsored Jaysh al-Mahdi militia controlled the Iraqi health ministry and that the 21 US and European companies, specializing in medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, made illicit payments to obtain drugs. medical supply contracts.
Representatives of the five groups of companies – AstraZeneca, GE Healthcare USA Holding, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) Pfizer and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc – said in a joint statement that “further proceedings will show that the companies are not in no way responsible “.
The lawsuit revived by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was brought by family members of victims of attacks in Iraq by the Mahdi group. A federal trial judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2020.
Lawyers for the companies told the appeals court they had provided the Iraqi government with “life-saving breast cancer treatments, hemophilia injections, ultrasounds, EKGs and other medical supplies” afterwards the US invasion of Iraq, which overthrew President Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Shanmugam also told the court in September that a ruling against the companies “would have a significant chilling effect on the willingness of companies and non-governmental organizations to carry out essential activities, often at the behest of the government, in areas which are the scene of troubles “.
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