Colombia sues Diageo under racketeering laws
Publish date: 15 November 2004
Issue Number: 1217
Diary: Legalbrief Today
Category: General
Diageo has been handed a massive lawsuit by the government of Colombia, which alleges that the drinks giant threatened national security by dealing with known terrorists, money launderers and drug traffickers, reports The Scotsman.
The suit, filed in New York under America\'s far-reaching racketeering laws, seeks unspecified damages from distribution activities it claims earned Diageo \'hundreds of millions of dollars a year\'. The lawsuit reads: \'The defendants created a circuitous and clandestine distribution chain to sell their liquor to criminal organisations and receive payment for their products.\' Diageo said the allegations were \'absolutely false\' and that it would fight them \'with all means at our disposal\'. Full report in The Scotsman
