By John Lee.
UK-bassed pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has said it is the subject of an anti-corruption investigation in the US relating to its activities in Iraq
In its latest quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company said:
“As previously disclosed, in the US, in October 2017, AstraZeneca and certain other pharmaceutical and/or medical device companies were named as defendants in a complaint filed in federal court in the District of Columbia by US nationals (or their estates, survivors, or heirs) who were killed or wounded in Iraq between 2005 and 2009 (the Lawsuit).
“The plaintiffs allege that the defendants violated the US Anti-Terrorism Act and various state laws by selling pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to the Iraqi Ministry of Health.
“In addition, AstraZeneca has received an inquiry from the US Department of Justice in connection with an anti-corruption investigation relating to activities in Iraq, including interactions with the Iraqi government and certain of the same matters alleged in the Lawsuit.“
(Source: AstraZeneca)