GlaxoSmithKline in $3bn fraud scandal

Global healthcare and pharmaceuticals company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has pleaded guilty to promoting two drugs for unapproved uses and also failing to report safety data about a diabetes drug to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The case concerns the drugs Paxil (paroxetine), an antidepressant; Wellbutrin, a typical antidepressant and smoking cessation aid and Avandia, medication for the treatment of type II diabetes.

GSK will pay the sum of $3bn, which includes a $1bn criminal fine and forfeiture and $2bn to resolve civil settlements with the federal and state governments. This is the largest healthcare fraud settlement in US history.

Deputy Attorney General, James Cole, speaking in Washington, DC said that the settlement was "unprecedented in both size and scope".

"Let me be clear, we will not tolerate health care fraud," Cole said.

Prosecutors said that GSK illegally promoted Paxil for treating depression in children from 1998 to 2003, even though it was not approved for anyone under age 18.
 

The company also promoted Wellbutrin from 1999 through 2003 for weight loss, sexual dysfunction, substance addictions and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, although it was only approved for treatment of major depression.

The company also conceded charges that it held back data and made unsupported safety claims over its diabetes drug Avandia.

"The sales force bribed physicians to prescribe GSK products using every imaginable form of high-priced entertainment, from Hawaiian vacations to paying doctors millions of dollars to go on speaking tours, and even tickets to Madonna concerts," said US attorney Carmin Ortiz.

As part of the settlement, GSK agreed to be monitored by government officials for five years to ensure that it complies with marketing and other rules. GSK, in a statement, said it would pay the fines through existing cash resources.

Andrew Witty, the chief executive, said procedures for compliance, marketing and selling had been changed at GSK's US unit.

"We have learnt from the mistakes that were made. When necessary, we have removed employees who have engaged in misconduct," Witty said.

Niger Delta Power Holding Limited And Dud Cheque

 

In its 2013 Global Corruption Barometer which surveyed residents in 107 countries, TI ranked Nigeria the 8th most corrupt country in the world. The recent corruption report by the anti-corruption agency, Transparency International (TI) placing Nigeria as the 8th most corrupt country in the world is serious enough for our policy makers and other stakeholders not to bat an eyelid. Recent developments in Nigeria could not have produced antithesis. One of such nagging albatrosses which is threatening to rock the fragile confidence in the financial and investment thrust in the country is the issue of increasing dud cheques recorded in the banks.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that over 167,507 dud cheques, with total value of N166 billion were processed by Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) between January and December 2012. Nigeria is still engaged in a battle to exit from the dishonorable list of those countries which are accused of not doing enough to curb money laundering, corruption and terrorism that is why I got angry when I was issued a dud cheque by  NDPH (Niger Delta Power Holding Limited)
I am  from Mmahu-Egbema of the Ohaji/Egbema LGA in Imo State of Nigeria. As part of the National Integrated Power Project, Rockson Engineering is carrying out the engineering, procurement and construction of a 378MW gas turbine power station in Mmahu-Egbema for NDPH . The National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) was conceived in 2004 as a fast-track government funded initiative to stabilize Nigeria’s electricity supply system.   NIPP was originally designed around seven medium sized gas fired power stations in the gas producing states, and the critical transmission infrastructure needed to evacuate the added power into the national grid. A commitment to electrify host communities in the vicinity of the power stations and major substations gave rise to the distribution component of the project. Niger Delta Power Holding Limited is in charge of  the Egbema power station. Egbema Power Plant Project was conceived as a simple cycle power plant with 3 Gas Turbines having the generating capacity of 112.8 Mega Watts of electricity and a combined generating capacity of 338MW of electricity into the national grid.
I am one of the landlords of the Egbema Power Plant.  My parents  planted cassava, maize and yams on my kindred farmland. My kindred farmland is my parent’s means of livelihood. It was painful when my parent’s means of livelihood was damaged by Niger Delta Power Holding Limited and Rockson Engineering in course of building the Power Plant in our farm land. We cannot deny our community a huge development by rejecting the NIPP project. NDPH agreed to pay compensation to us for our damaged crops and damaged trees and in year 2009 NDPH under NIPP did the assessment of damaged crops and trees on our farmland.
In August 2013, four years after the assessment ,NDPH  called us to Owerri where I was  issued a  Zenith bank Managers cheque with  Account Number  1030003807 Cheque number 07434402  as compensation for my damaged crops and trees. Guess how much is on the cheque ….. fourty two thousand four hundred and fourty four naira (N42,444). My God! What a ridiculous compensation for my damaged crops and trees. The worst of it all is that this cheque  turned out to be a dud one. I went to Zenith Bank Omoku Branch in Rivers State in the same August 2013 and the cashier at the counter told me that  they  cannot honour  the cheque for there were issues with NDPH account. I asked the type of issues but the cashier refused to speak further. Otio!  I climbed upstairs to talk with the Operations Manager of the bank and  he  gave me the  issue excuse too  but chipped in that NDPH  has no money in the account yet and told me sorry, we can’t pay you…go back to NDPH.
My God! Dud Cheque! A dud cheque is a cheque that is written for more than the amount in the issuer’s bank account e.g. a cheque for N200 when the person only has N150 in his bank account. The actions of dud cheques issuers are beginning to adversely affect the ‘cash-lite’ policy currently at the pilot stage in some Nigerian states. Dud cheques issuance, which  is on the increase, results in low confidence in the acceptance of cheques, one of the key elements of the ‘cash-lite’ policy. NDPH ought to have made sure that their accounts are funded before issuing a cheque to a third party.
The provisions of the Dishonoured/Dud Cheques Act make it an offence for any person anywhere in Nigeria to induce the delivery of any property or to purport to settle a lawful obligation by means of a cheque which when presented is dishonoured on the grounds that no funds or insufficient funds were standing to the credit of the drawer of the cheque, and for matters connected therewith. I condemn in strong terms this dud cheque issued to me by NDPH. I see this action as insensitive and utterly inhuman. I demand an open apology from  the management NDPH and I demand for adequate compensation for the destruction of my farmland and for Mmahu people.
Imagine my farmland destroyed and I was paid just N42,444 .NDPH with this ridiculous compensation has  put more excruciating burden and poverty on Mmahu mothers  and fathers  who have been daily subjected to untold hardship by various anti-poor policies of the federal government. Let no one be deceived, the damaged Mmahu farms , like others, have  wrecked incalculable havoc on the living standard of the poor working  people of Mmahu who are farmers . Like we know, lack of farms to cultivate has  instantly hike up the cost of  food in Mmahu  without corresponding increment in income of the people . This pro-capitalist and counter-productive policy of NDPH  has  yielded a harvest of hunger , high waves of crimes and  prostitution in our land.
I have scanned and attached the cheque issued to me. I hereby  call on the various government agencies to investigate the  compensation  for damaged crops and trees by NDPH  in Mmahu-Egbema  so as to unearth the stinking smell coming out from there. This  NDPH neo-liberal policy in Mmahu must not be treated as an isolated or incidental occurrence but rather as a manifestation of the pro-rich, and anti-poor agenda of  some capitalist thieving  vampires in NDPH  who wants Mmahu to be in mass poverty in the midst of abundance. We say No to this .Dare to fight, dare to win.
-Kenneth Uwadi, Mmahu-Egbema, Imo State,Nigeria

BREAKING NEWS: Dead Prophet Ajanaku Resurrects from Mortuary

Unconfirmed report reaching Hi People Magazine says that Pastor Ajanaku that was declared dead from his sleep on Sunday evening has returned back to life. The questionable Prophet’s demise shocked the whole of Lagos State and of course everyone who has ever heard of him. The rumour that went wild was that he had an over-dose of medicine and that caused about his death.

Medical facility sources uncovered that while efforts were being made to prep him for morgue, the Prophet, that has declined to pass away, shouted and woke up ‘Thank You Jesus!’

The Prophet’s wife, was yesterday telling sympathisers that “I knew daddy would come back to life again.” But as he lay motionless in death throughout yesterday, they wife was more scared, doubting if the Prophet will awake again or not.

The prophet is still in the hospital, as elders of the church, are insisting that the prophet should be left till Friday, believing that he would have come back fully to life.

President Jonathan's Moves To Settle With Amaechi

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has initiated moves to settle scores with Rotimi Amaechi, Rivers State governor.

For sometime now, there has been a rift between Mr. President and Amaechi. Mrs. Patience Jonathan also confessed a few weeks ago that the Rivers State governor offended her about four years ago, a reason she has been calling for his head.

However, one of the reasons Jonathan has made latest move to reconcile with Amaechi is to strengthen his 2015 chances.

"The eventual registration of APC by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has also put the President under more pressure. So he's desperate to make more friends now than enemies," an Aso Rock source told Global Village Extra.

Our source added that Mrs. Patience Jonathan has also been advised to end her feud with Amaechi.

"She may not apologise directly, but I'm optimistic that very soon, she will find a way to settle her differences with Amaechi," our source concluded.

Nollywood Actor, Chidi Mokeme In Fresh Paternity Mess ...As controversial birth wrecks lover, Habiba Abubakar's marriage.

Actor Chidi Mokeme is in a fresh paternity mess.

The dresser forced to accept responsibility for one of his love babies, Daniel solo at age 11 a not long ago has a new case to answer for.

He is accused of impregnating and refusing to accept the product of his alleged illicit affair with married woman, Habiba Abubarka.

Insiders revealed this is even after news of the birth resulted in the millionaire hubby of his lover divorcing her. And taking over the 3 children the marriage produced.

Sources confirmed Habiba gave birth for Chidi Mokeme about 2 weeks ago in Saudi Arabia. And the baby named Chukwudi Mokeme.

Her attempts to make hidden lover and baby father Mokeme accept paternity are said to have been vehemently rebuffed.

He doesn't want to have anything to do with her again- resorting to phone messages and e-mails to relate with his baby mama turned estranged lover.

Insiders revealed the actor constantly linked with older and wealthy women also adopted the extra ploy of threats to release 'X-rated pictures , mails, and intimate texts messages' to discredit the alleged mother of his child and embarrass her and her children as part of move to create further distance between them.

He is said to be relying on the additional advantage of an interview by Habiba denying intimate relationship between the two of them not too long ago.

Friends of Habiba claimed the embattled baby mama did this to protect her marriage back then- and Chidi's image as well.

This was reportedly at a period they were having the affair under Mokeme's guise of helping Habiba recover about N15m swindled off her by fellow actor, Jim Iyke.

Insiders revealed with the collapse of her marriage staring her in the face, and 'loss' of her three children also thrown into the equation, Habiba is not taking any of that.

Sources claim she is currently exploring all means possible to make Mokeme accept paternity and live up to his responsibilities- especially to avoid the baby growing up with a ' whose the father's shroud over him'.

Part of the move is labelled 'plan to recant her romance denial interview and tell it as it is'

Opinions are however divided on the effectiveness of this move- with some looking forward to a fight that is as messy as it was intimate.

Source - SocietyNow.

Revival Assembly Founder, Apostle Anselm Madubuko In Car Theft Scandal

Divine immunity of touch not my anointing and do my prophet no evil may not be able to rescue the spirit, body and soul of eloquent preacher, Pastor Anselm Madubuko of Revival Assembly if his alleged involvement in the purchase of a stolen car is proved by detectives to be true.

The flamboyant preacher is currently under the radar of the Interpol for allegedly purchasing a 2013 Benz S-class worth 45million for a paltry sum of N10million.

The man of God who allegedly told detectives that he bought the car from a dealer who brought it from US could not convince the detectives on how the S-class Benz got to his car park at the premises of his church few weeks back.

The disappearance of the 2013 S-class series said to have been displayed in a car shop in far away in the United States of America where a man whose greed caught the new invention said to be one of the three newly mint cars on display for would be buyers across the world, requested to test-run the car from the shop and did not return the car as the test-run from far-away United State of America ended in Nigeria where the car was traced to the premises of the Revival Assembly ground by the eagle eyes of the car manufacturer with the aid of technology and Interpol officials.

This finding has thrown the church community into severe panic and frantic effort is being made to cover the matter from the attention of the world.

Already, the car has been seized from the bubbling man of God and transferred to the premises of the United States Embassy in Abuja awaiting onward repatriation back to the owner of the stolen car.

Investigations into the circumstances linking the man of God with the fraudulent purchase were still ongoing. A security source informed us.

It will be recalled that in recent times, a number of church leaders are being linked with one form of criminal activity or the other.

Also, the Police at Panti are currently probing claims that a very top pastor of Apostle Anselm Madubuko's Revival Assembly Church identified as Pastor Jite Obahor  is having oral sex with two of his housemaids, Blessing and Kentu who are both less than 17 years old, we can exclusively report.

Investigation revealed that Pastor Pastor Obahor , an Urhobo man came into Lagos August last year from a branch of Revival Assembly church which he led to join the headquarter at Ogba in Lagos, and got a house at 5, Adeoye Close off Chief Nwafor Street at Obawole in the same Ogba.

A not-too-far distance to the church,  he and his family, his wife and four children occupy the front flat in the building, which is about three-block of flats. Two housemaids, Blessing, 16 and Kentu, 12 years old, both Niger-Delta indigenes also live with them.

We were told that Blessing and Kentu were cruelly treated by Pastor Pastor Obahor and his wife to the point that while the couple and their children drink bottled water, their maids drink from the dirty well in the compound. It was a luxury each time they were offered food. It was also said that the couple never spared the rod but hit the poor girls regularly.

Their pitiable condition got to the neighbours but they could only marvel at the Pastor and his wife's sheer wickedness.

Situation became very messy when the supposed man of God started having affairs with Blessing and Kentu. It happened that when his wife gave birth to their last born, a girl child it was through caesarean, and the woman had to stay in the hospital for close to a month. At that time, Pastor Pastor Obahor needed a bedmate and didn't foray far. Like the proverbial elephant, he started eating the grass (Blessing) under him, and got her pregnant and terminated the pregnancy.

It was gathered that when the Pastor's wife returned home, he continued the affairs, sneaking into the passage where the girls sleep to perform the unholy act. While he would sleep with Blessing, it was said that Pastor Pastor Obahor would direct Kentu to suck his manhood to the point that he reaches orgasm, and wash her face and head with the semen.

However, Blessing and Kentu were later spared the ordeal of forcefully sleeping with their master last week Tuesday when operatives from Panti CID came to apprehend Pastor Pastor Obahor  following a petition from an NGO that was told by a Good Samaritan who the poor girls confided in.

It was further said that Blessing and Kentu are presently at Alausa in Ikeja in the care of the NGO.

In its reply, the church in a statement published on its official website - http://revivalassembly.org said:

“It has come to our attention that certain events occurred in the home of Pastor Jite Obahor that led to his arrest and detention by the police and an NGO since last week. We have not been able to see him and ask him directly about the events that led to his arrest and detention.

On investigating the matter it was found that he is alleged to have molested his housemaids. This has been published in the media with the name of the General overseer and church mentioned.

Revival Assembly as a church has nothing to do with the events that took place in the privacy of his home; we find the alleged acts utterly reprehensible and we are not in support of such acts. Let us however remember him and his young family in our prayers. As of now Pastor Jite ceases to be a pastor in Revival Assembly church.

Together as a family we find these events shocking but the grace that God has given us by which we have overcome other challenges in times past we look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith to make us more united and focused as a family”.