Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, General Electric & More Accused of Funding Terrorism in Iraq
Two
days ago, on October 17, over 100 U.S. veterans and relatives of
American soldiers who were either injured or killed during the Iraq war
filed a federal lawsuit against numerous U.S. and
European Big Pharma
companies. These aren’t just tiny corporations, they’re some of the
leading companies in the medical industry, including Johnson &
Johnson and Pfizer.
advertisement - learn more
Those involved in the lawsuit
are claiming that these companies regularly paid officials in Iraq’s
Ministry of Health, who then used the money to fund the militia that was
responsible for many attacks against U.S. troops.
So, why are Big Pharma companies funding Iraq’s Ministry of Health, and more importantly, did they know the money would end up in the hands of terrorists?
Lawsuit Against Big Pharma Companies Funding Terrorists
It seems sort of strange that Big Pharma
companies, especially those based in the U.S., would fund the very
terrorist organizations that were attacking U.S. troops in the first
place. But then again, it’s also sort of strange that the U.S.
government funds and trains terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS, so perhaps this shouldn’t come as such a surprise.
The lawsuit was filed against five major
pharmaceutical giants: AstraZeneca, General Electric, Johnson &
Johnson, Pfizer, and Roche Holding. The lawsuit claims that these
organizations financed terrorist organizations that are responsible for
the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers, and numerous soldiers and
veterans who were wounded in the Iraq war.
These companies allegedly paid kickbacks
to higher-ups at Iraq’s Health Ministry, and these payments were made
when the ministry was controlled by the Jaysh al-Mahdi, or Mahdi Army,
an “anti-American”
Iraqi militia backed by Iran. The lawsuit includes a 27-page list
that details all of the reported deaths and injuries of American troops
that were caused by Jaysh al-Mahdi from 2005 to 2009.
advertisement - learn more
In terms of how much the officials at
the ministry were being paid, these companies allegedly bribed them with
as much as 20% of a total contract’s value. The plaintiffs stated that
these corporations funded the ministry employees by supplying them with
additional drugs and equipment.
They noted that these free items were
packaged in “a manner conducive to street resale” so that the ministry
officials could resell them on the black market. In addition, the
companies allegedly designed a “slush fund” from 2004 to 2013 in order
to fund “after-sales support and other services,” but in reality, the
money was apparently used for the Health Ministry officials.
Keep Evolving Your Consciousness
Inspiration and all our best content, straight to your inbox.
The lawsuit argues that by funding the officials, the corporations “aided and abetted Jaysh al-Mahdi’s terrorist operations against Americans in Iraq.”
The lawsuit reads:
The lawsuit reads:
[The ministry] functioned more as a terrorist apparatus than a health organization. . . .
Public hospitals were converted into terrorist bases where Sunnis were abducted, tortured, and murdered. [Health Ministry] ambulances transported Jaysh al-Mahdi death squads around Baghdad. Armed terrorists openly patrolled the halls of [Health Ministry] headquarters in downtown Baghdad, which became too dangerous for Americans to enter and which one percipient witness described as a ‘Mahdi Army camp.
The lawsuit claims that the ministry was
essentially a front for Jaysh al-Mahdi, which many U.S. army officials
started referring to as “the pill army,” because the troops were
compensated in pills instead of actual money.
As per whether or not the Big Pharma
companies actually knew that this money and medical supplies were ending
up in the hands of terrorists, the lawsuit claims they were well aware
that the ministry was acting as a front for a terrorist organization.
The lawsuit even includes examples of how these companies had previously
paid generous amounts of money in the past to settle similar claims.
These examples include
one in 2011, whereby Johnson & Johnson paid $70 million to settle
charges that its subsidiaries paid kickbacks in order to successfully
gain contracts in Iraq and other countries. GE also had a similar case
in which it ended up settling for $23 million in 2010.
Two GE subsidiaries
allegedly scored at least four contracts between 2000 and 2003 by
paying illegal kickbacks to the Kimadia, the Health Ministry’s
purchasing agency. AstraZeneca AB,
the company’s UK-affiliate, paid at least $162,000 in kickbacks in
order to secure the sale of $1.7 million worth of drugs under the
sanctions relief program.
Ryan Sparacino, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, told the Financial Times: “Most of the defendants have a documented history of paying bribes that supported terrorism under Saddam.
The lawsuit alleges that the companies are in violation of the U.S. anti-terrorism act.
Final Thoughts
When you really think about it, this
information isn’t all that surprising. We live in a world where most
businesses’ primary goal is to make money, and ultimately Big Pharma’s
primary motive in many of these cases is to score profitable contracts.
There’s also a bit of irony within this
case, as it’s helping to expose the ties between large corporations and
terrorist organizations that are allegedly in violation of U.S. law,
when in reality the U.S. government itself has been funding, training,
and aiding terrorist organizations for decades. We’ve have written
numerous articles on this subject, such as here, here, here, and here.
In my opinion, the most important thing to remember when reading information like this is that by educating one another, we can make positive change. Although
many find it difficult to discuss corruption and other “darker” subject
matter, it’s important that we shed light on them in order to increase
awareness.
No comments:
Post a Comment