A federal trial judge previously dismissed the trial in 2020. (Representative)
Washington:
A US appeals court on Tuesday restarted a lawsuit against AstraZeneca, Pfizer and other companies alleging that their contracts with Iraq’s health ministry helped fund the terrorism that led to the war in Iraq. killed the Americans during
The plaintiffs argue that the Hezbollah-sponsored terrorist group Jaish al-Mahdi controlled Iraq’s health ministry and that 21 defendants American and European medical supply and manufacturing companies made corrupt payments to obtain medical supply contracts.
The companies have denied any wrongdoing. Representatives from five corporate groups — AstraZeneca, GE Healthcare USA Holding, Johnson & Johnson Pfizer and Hoffman-La Roche Inc — did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit revived by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was brought by family members of victims of the attacks in Iraq by the Mahdi group. A federal trial judge dismissed the trial in 2020.
Advocate Kannan Shanmugam, appearing for the companies, did not immediately comment.
Joshua Branson, an attorney for the family members, also did not immediately comment.
Lawyers for the companies told the appeals court that they had provided the Iraqi government with “life-saving breast cancer treatments, hemophilia injections, ultrasounds, electrocardiogram machines and other medical goods” after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 toppled strong President Saddam Hussein. “Provided. ,
Shanmugam told the court in September that a ruling against the companies “would have a serious impact on the willingness of companies and NGOs to conduct essential activities, often at the request of the government, in disturbed areas.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
,