The Dutch experience: a unique criminal case against tobacco manufacturers
In the world’s first example of a potential criminal case against tobacco manufacturers, the Dutch group Sick of Smoking urged a public prosecutor to prosecute four tobacco companies: Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, and Imperial Tobacco Benelux. The charges: fraud, manslaughter, and attempted murder.
The case was filed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office on September 29, 2016, by Dutch criminal defense attorney Bénédicte Ficq on behalf of two lung patients, Anne Marie van Veen and Lia Breed, and the Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation. Both women have since died from complications related to their tobacco-induced illnesses.
