Swedish company ‘Ericsson’ accused of supporting ISIS
Ericsson headquarters. Photo: Hot Topics
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Hundreds of Americans have sued Ericsson, accusing it of providing bribes to al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorist groups to allow it to operate in Iraq.
The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 500 American soldiers and civilians who were victims of terrorist attacks or were held hostages in terrorist operations taking place between 2005 and 2021, in addition to the families of victims killed during attacks in Iraq, filed a lawsuit against the Swedish company in a federal court in Washington.
The lawsuit was brought under the 1990 Anti-Terrorism Act, which allows victims of terrorism to ask for compensation in US courts, as well as against companies and individuals involved in supporting terrorism.
On the other hand, Ericsson confirmed that it will vigorously defend the lawsuit.
“Any attempt to link Ericsson to the allegations in the lawsuit is unfounded,” the company mentioned.
Victims of terrorism accused Ericsson of paying terrorist groups that controlled territories in Iraq between 2014 and 2017, in an attempt to prevent them from hindering Ericsson’s business. They said the funding aided a campaign of kidnapping, torture, bombing and murder.
Victims alleged that money Ericsson believed to have sent to terrorists in Iraq eventually helped funding attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
The lawsuit follows Ericsson’s admission in February of discovering serious violations of compliance rules in Iraq, including evidence of corruption-related misconduct.
Ericsson began operating in Iraq the after the United Nations embargo was lifted, which led to the reopening of the telecom equipment market in the country.