PFIZER AND BLACKMAIL OF NIGERIA It was a story which deeply impressed the world public opinion, which inspired the king of the spy -stories, the writer John Le Carre novel that told it later became a film, 'The Constant Gardener'. But it is not only confirm fiction today 'Cable to Wikileaks according to which the multinational pharmaceutical Pfizer tried to blackmail the Nigerian government to avoid a lawsuit against him that promises (and turned out to) a millionaire. In 1996, Pfizer launched a campaign for a new experimental drug, Trovan, among children suffering from an unprecedented epidemic in Kano, northern Nigeria. Rather than treat the drug killed 11 and many made them invalid. There followed a complaint by the Nigerian authorities and a court case lasted years, but the multinational tried by all means - apparently not even legal - to avoid. According to messages posted by Wikileaks, Pfizer had hired private investigators to gather evidence of corruption against the Minister of Justice of Nigeria, Michael Aondoakaa, and use them in an attempt to persuade him to drop the charges against him and making them even get the local media. According to information from Wikileaks, U.S. officials at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja in a message dated April 9, 2009 report of a meeting with the head of Pfizer in the country, Liggeri Henry, who says that Pfizer has "hired private investigators to find evidence of corruption related to the Federal Minister for Justice, Michael Aondoakaa be used to put pressure on him and cause him to drop the lawsuit launched against Pfizer. Pfizer investigators have passed information to local media. " According to the same cable, the American economic advisor Robert Tansey says that "a series of damaging articles Aondoakaa and providing details on cases of 'alleged corruption which is attached, have appeared in print in February and March. Liggeri said that Pfizer is in possession of other material harmful to Aondoakaa and his accomplices are putting pressure on him to fall for you to make the case for fear of any negative articles in the press. " The conversation took place with the revelations, however, just when Pfizer decided to agree with the authorities for compensation in April 2009, the pharmaceutical giant agreed to pay $ 75 million as compensation to local government.
http://www.leggo.it/articolo.php?id=95624
0 comments:
Post a Comment