The Iraqi government is seeking $10 billion in damages from 93 companies allegedly involved in the oil-for-food affair, including Chevron Corp. (CVX) and BNP Paribas SA (BNP.FR), French business daily Liberation reports Tuesday, citing lawyers and court documents.
Iraq is seeking the damages in a civil case filed in New York over alleged violations of the United Nations-sponsored oil-for-food program for Iraq between 1997 and 2003, the newspaper reports.
The companies concerned, which also include Siemens AG (SI), Fiat SpA (F.MI), and GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK), have until Jan. 15 to respond to the Iraqi government's arguments before the judge decides whether to bring the case before a jury, according to Liberation.
The newspaper cites a BNP Paribas statement on the matter as saying: "Any allegation according to which BNP Paribas would have acted in an improper way ... is unfounded. As a result, the bank intends to ask the court to reject the complaint."