KIEV, Sept. 20 – Ukraine's government lodged a suit on September 17 in a federal court in Portland (Oregon) against a U.S. company, Olden Group, LLC, that is alleged to be part of an international conspiracy involving the fraudulent sale of vaccines and other pharmaceuticals, according to Trout Cacheris, PLLC.

This is the first lawsuit filed in the framework of a comprehensive investigation into the fight against corruption started by an order of the Cabinet of Ministers in May, Trout Cacheris said.

The case was brought by Ukrvaktsyna, the Ukrainian state-owned enterprise responsible for the procurement and storage of medicines and medical supplies for Ukraine's Ministry of Health. The suit seeks damages for fraud, conspiracy and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO").

The complaint alleges that from 2008 through 2009, the U.S. company Olden Group, LLC, which is owned by offshore companies registered in Belize and the South Pacific island of Niue played a key role in a conspiracy to unlawfully mark-up the price of millions of doses of vaccines which were intended for use in the Ukrainian public health system.