British American Tobacco Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Role in Funding North Korea's Terrorism
A group of hundreds of US military service members, civilians, and their families have filed a lawsuit against British American Tobacco (BAT) and its subsidiary, alleging that the tobacco company spent years secretly helping North Korea fund terrorism. The allegations date back to 2001 when BAT formed a joint venture with a North Korean company to manufacture cigarettes in the country.
According to the lawsuit, BAT continued to operate the joint venture despite US government warnings of North Korea's involvement in terrorism and sanctions imposed on the country. In fact, the company secretly continued its operation through a subsidiary after publicly claiming it was ending business in North Korea in 2007.
The joint venture provided approximately $418 million in banking transactions, which were allegedly used to advance North Korea's weapons program. The US Department of Justice has accused BAT and its subsidiary of conspiring to violate sanctions and bank fraud, leading to a deferred prosecution agreement and fines of $629 million.
The lawsuit argues that BAT should be liable for damages due to its alleged role in funding the development of terrorist weapons used against Americans. North Korea allegedly used profits from the cigarette venture and cigarette smuggling to fund the development of weapons of mass destruction for Iran's revolutionary guard and Hezbollah, which were then used in attacks on US military bases and civilians.
The plaintiffs include service members who suffered traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of these attacks. They also include the widow and estate of a man killed while assisting refugees during one of the attacks.
BAT has not commented on the lawsuit, but its lawyers argue that the company was aware of the terrorist finance risks presented by the illicit cigarette trade and continued to operate the joint venture despite this knowledge. The case is seen as a significant test of accountability for corporate wrongdoing in facilitating terrorism financing.
In contrast to recent decisions where companies have been found not liable for damages due to insufficient action against terrorist groups, the lawsuit against BAT argues that the company's inaction was "conscious and culpable" and contributed to the success of North Korea's terrorist attacks.
A group of hundreds of US military service members, civilians, and their families have filed a lawsuit against British American Tobacco (BAT) and its subsidiary, alleging that the tobacco company spent years secretly helping North Korea fund terrorism. The allegations date back to 2001 when BAT formed a joint venture with a North Korean company to manufacture cigarettes in the country.
According to the lawsuit, BAT continued to operate the joint venture despite US government warnings of North Korea's involvement in terrorism and sanctions imposed on the country. In fact, the company secretly continued its operation through a subsidiary after publicly claiming it was ending business in North Korea in 2007.
The joint venture provided approximately $418 million in banking transactions, which were allegedly used to advance North Korea's weapons program. The US Department of Justice has accused BAT and its subsidiary of conspiring to violate sanctions and bank fraud, leading to a deferred prosecution agreement and fines of $629 million.
The lawsuit argues that BAT should be liable for damages due to its alleged role in funding the development of terrorist weapons used against Americans. North Korea allegedly used profits from the cigarette venture and cigarette smuggling to fund the development of weapons of mass destruction for Iran's revolutionary guard and Hezbollah, which were then used in attacks on US military bases and civilians.
The plaintiffs include service members who suffered traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of these attacks. They also include the widow and estate of a man killed while assisting refugees during one of the attacks.
BAT has not commented on the lawsuit, but its lawyers argue that the company was aware of the terrorist finance risks presented by the illicit cigarette trade and continued to operate the joint venture despite this knowledge. The case is seen as a significant test of accountability for corporate wrongdoing in facilitating terrorism financing.
In contrast to recent decisions where companies have been found not liable for damages due to insufficient action against terrorist groups, the lawsuit against BAT argues that the company's inaction was "conscious and culpable" and contributed to the success of North Korea's terrorist attacks.
i mean what's more interesting than a puppy playing with a ball? anyway back to this bat thing... i dont think its fair that they get off scot free after all those billions of dollars in profits they must have been like "oh no terrorists might be involved" and then just kept on trucking 
... I mean, can you believe a big corp like BAT would be involved with something as shady as funding terrorism? It's a huge lesson in corporate accountability 
. I think we need to remember that power and profits don't give companies the right to ignore their impact on the world 
. The fact that they continued to operate despite warnings is just a massive red flag 
. It's also crazy how many people have suffered because of this - it's not just about the damage done by North Korea, but also the harm caused to our own service members and civilians 
. This lawsuit is like a wake-up call for all businesses: you've got to be held accountable for your actions 
.
imagine having a cigarette in ur hand & unknowingly funding terrorists lol no wonder they havnt commented on it, they must be hiding somethin 
and now people are suin them for damages? I feel 4 the fam members who lost loved ones 
& those servs members who got brain injuries too 
. And the US government is all up in arms about it too, rightfully so. How could BAT just keep on keeping on knowing full well that their joint venture was secretly funding North Korea's terrorism? It's like they were trying to avoid accountability and profit off their own reckless behavior 
. The plaintiffs' stories are heartbreaking – service members and civilians who suffered traumatic injuries just because of BAT's negligence. It's a slap in the face to those families, especially when it could've been prevented if someone had just spoken up 
.
.
It's crazy that they thought they could just skirt around sanctions and bank fraud without getting caught. The fact that they're trying to downplay their role in it now is just another example of corporate greed. 
I guess it's true what they say: "Follow the money"... in this case, it's following a trail of deceit and corruption that leads all the way to the top. 
that's just wild. i feel bad for the families of those service members who got hurt in attacks but at the same time how can a company be so reckless with money and national security? $629 million is a lot of money, maybe it should've been used to help ppl instead of funding north korea's evil stuff 
. The plaintiffs are getting justice, I hope they get the compensation they deserve 
. This case is gonna set a precedent for corporate accountability when it comes to terrorism financing... gotta keep an eye on this one 
the whole thing smells like a big ol' mess and i'm not surprised bat's lawyers are trying to spin this as "conscious and culpable" but come on, that's just semantics 
we need more of these kinds of lawsuits to hold companies like bat responsible for their role in perpetuating harm 
Still, can't help but think that the government should've done more to crack down on BAT and its shady dealings back in the day. It's gonna be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out...