Yahoo – AFP, 4 February
2016
Entrepreneur
and pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli listens during a
congressional
hearing on February 4, 2016 in Washington (AFP Photo/
Brendan Smialowski)
|
Washington (AFP) -
Pharmaceutical "bad boy" Martin Shkreli invoked his constitutional
right against self-incrimination Thursday in a brief, contentious appearance
before a US congressional panel.
Shkreli, called to
testify in a House oversight hearing on prescription drug prices, repeatedly
declined to explain steep drug price increases he imposed as former chief
executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals.
Shkreli was asked what
he would tell sick patients who can no longer afford the drug and whether he
thinks he has done anything wrong.
"On the advice of
counsel, I invoke the Fifth Amendment and respectfully decline to answer your
question," Shkreli told the lawmakers in each case.
Shkreli wore a smirk
and looked away from lawmakers much of the time, sparking bipartisan outrage.
"It's not
funny," said Maryland Democrat Elijah Cummings, the senior Democrat on the
committee. "People are dying and they are getting sicker."
Representative John
Duncan, a Tennessee Republican and a veteran lawmaker first elected in 1988,
said in all his years in Congress: "I've never seen an individual behave
with such arrogance."
Shkreli, 32, vaulted to
notoriety in September 2015 after he raised the price of Daraprim from $13.50
to $750 per pill. Daraprim is a decades-old drug used to treat toxoplasmosis, a
potentially fatal infection, and it is also used by HIV patients.
In December, Shkreli
was arrested and indicted for securities fraud for allegedly orchestrating a
Ponzi scheme-like conspiracy at two hedge funds and another firm, prior to
joining Turing.
He is accused of lying
to investors, moved money between investments to cover losses in other vehicles
and siphoned off cash for personal expenses. Shkreli resigned as CEO of Turing
the day after the indictment.
Shkreli's attorney,
Benjamin Brafman, a prominent criminal defense lawyer, told reporters after the
appearance that it was a "frustrating morning for us."
"Mr. Shkreli would
like nothing more than to answer the committee's questions," Brafman said.
However, invoking the Fifth Amendment was "appropriate" given his
indictment on the fraud charge.
"I would also tell
you Mr. Shkreli did not intend to show any disrespect for any members of the
committee, listened intently," he said.
"Some of what you
saw was nervous energy by an individual who very much would like to explain
what happened, but has agreed to listen to his lawyer," said Brafman,
whose high-profile clients have included Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the
International Monetary Fund chief who resigned amid a sexual assault scandal.
Shkreli stayed mum as
television cameras followed him from the Capitol Hill hearing, but quickly took
to Twitter after that to blast lawmakers.
"Hard to accept
that these imbeciles represent the people in our government," he tweeted.
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