The Dutch public prosecutor's office has said it won't pursue a case against tobacco makers Philip Morris International Inc., British American Tobacco PLC, Japan Tobacco International and Imperial Tobacco Benelux, all accused by an anti-smoking lobby group of attempted murder and manslaughter.
"A successful prosecution of the tobacco manufacturers — one resulting in a conviction — is not possible within the current regulations and parameters," the authority said in a statement. Dutch criminal law attorney Benedicte Ficq in 2016 filed charges with the prosecutor's office on behalf of lung cancer and respiratory disease patients and the Dutch Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation.
The prosecutor's office said it doesn't see "any indication that by offering cigarettes, the tobacco manufacturers have stepped outside the margins prescribed by the legislator."