11 March 2008
Lagos — Five months after the Federal Government brought a criminal charge against Pfizer Pharmaceutical and its directors, the court summon is yet to beserved them.
The charge is related to the complicity of the international pharmaceutical company in the1996 drug test (Trovan) in Kano, during an outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis.
At the resumed hearing of the trial yesterday, the government, represented by Mr Obinna Ogbuagu,requested for more time to serve the summon.
"We are yet to effect service on the accused basedin the U.S. We urge the court for an adjournment to do this," Ogbuagu told the court.Justice Anwuri Chikere accepted the request and adjourned the case to April 10, for report of service.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) later, Ogbuagu said "the American legal process requires that we file some processes in the country before we can serve court summons on their citizens. It has been very difficult for us to meet up with the requirement.
"He, however, said government had made considerable progress, and promised that the service would be effected before the adjourned date.
Officials of the drug company yet to be served are the former Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, Mr William Steeve, and the Director of Medical Research, Mr Scott Hopkins.
Others are the two medical doctors who conducted the test, Michael Dune and DeborahWilliams.In a related development, Chikere yesterday fixed April 10 for adoption of written briefs on a civil suit filed by Pfizer against the Federal Government.Pfizer, through its lawyer, Mr Anthony Idigbe, SAN, filed the suit to quash a report of an investigative panel on the drug test, which indicted the drug company.
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