United States wheat farmers have filed a lawsuit and are seeking class action status against the Australian wheat exporter for allegedly paying bribes and kickbacks to the Saddam Hussein regime that cost wheat growers in America millions of dollars in lost sales. The lawsuit was filed in federal district court in New York City and claims AWB and its subsidiary AWB USA Ltd. were involved in a bribery and money laundering conspiracy that included various agencies of the Iraqi government, a Jordanian trucking company, and international shipping companies.
The class action also alleges violations of US antitrust laws and claims the companies illegally funneled money from the United Nations' oil-for-food program through bank accounts in the United States. The suit seeks more than $100 million in damages and alleges violations of the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.
