Government Sues Tobacco Importers

Source from:  Tobaccojournal.com 13 Nov 2008 11/14/2008

The Saudi government has filed a lawsuit against importers of cigarettes from international tobacco companies, reports the Associated Press. The Saudi health minister Hamad al-Manie said that the government wants compensation amounting to USD 34 billion (EUR 27.1 billion) for the cost of treating illnesses caused by smoking. He says the action is also part of an effort to stem smoking in the kingdom. The suit targets the local agents rather than the international tobacco companies themselves because "it's the agents that bring the cigarettes into the country", al-Manie said. Legal proceedings against the 13 Saudi cigarette importers began last year. Four court hearings have been held in the case since, but only one agent attended one of the four hearings. The lawsuit, which seeks some of the world's biggest damage claims, is the first such action in the Arab world. Enditem