-Caveat Lector-
>From Ottawa Citizen
Tainted-blood sleuth firebombed
Intimidation campaign suspected as Arkansas clinic razed, Montreal
office ransacked
Mark Kennedy
The Ottawa Citizen
The controversial story involving tainted plasma from Arkansas
prisoners that was shipped to Canada in the 1980s while Bill Clinton
was state governor has taken a mysterious and chilling new turn.
Two crimes that occurred within hours of each other Tuesday night,
hundreds of kilometres apart, have raised questions about whether
someone is trying to intimidate or silence those who are asking
questions about the prison-blood fiasco.
In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, someone firebombed a prosthetics clinic owned by Michael
Galster, who has been pushing hard for a U.S. government investigation. The clinic was
burned to its shell and fire officials, who found a
gas container in Mr. Galster's attic -- where he kept his documents -- say they're
"90-per-cent sure" the fire was arson.
In Montreal, someone broke into the offices of the Quebec chapter of the Canadian
Hemophilia Society, which recently unearthed documents that showed Finance Minister
Paul Martin was a board member of the corporation that
owned Connaught Laboratories, the company that fractionated and distributed the
Arkansas prison plasma in Canada.
Hemophilia Society officials say thieves stole a computer and three telephones. They
also stole documents from a box labeled "Hepatitis C, Krever Commission, Reform of the
blood system, HIV-AIDS."
Police are investigating both incidents.
Mike McCarthy, a Canadian hemophiliac at the forefront of pushing for answers into the
prison plasma scandal, says he's convinced the two crimes are connected.
"It's too much of a coincidence," he said, adding that someone is worried Mr. Galster
and the victims are probing too close to the truth.
"They're trying to find out what we know and erase the trail if they can."
"I think they're also sending a message. They're trying to scare us into backing off.
They're trying to put the fear of God into us, that if we pursue the truth it can get
worse. That the next action might not just be bui
ldings and records."
The RCMP are examining the prison-blood scheme as part of their criminal investigation
into the tainted-blood scandal. RCMP Cpl. Gilles Moreau said yesterday that the
Mounties are willing to review any evidence local poli
ce in Montreal and Arkansas uncover.
"We do not work in a vacuum," said Cpl. Moreau. "If there's information that is linked
to the blood distribution system for the period that we're investigating, we're
certainly not going to close our eyes to that informat
ion. We welcome any information that comes our way."
The story of how prison plasma was collected and found its way into the bloodstreams
of unsuspecting Canadians stands as one of the most shocking aspects of the
tainted-blood tragedy.
It's not known how many Canadians contracted HIV and hepatitis C from the plasma of
Arkansas prisoners, who were paid $7 a unit, although it's likely that several hundred
people were infected by the tainted products.
At the time, U.S. companies that fractionate blood products had stopped buying prison
blood because it was widely understood that, since many inmates practised unsafe sex
or were intravenous drug addicts, their blood pose
d a high risk of carrying the AIDS virus.
In Arkansas, a private firm, Health Management Associates, was given a contract by the
state government to collect the prisoners' plasma. The firm had difficulty locating a
U.S. customer but found a willing buyer in a Mon
treal blood broker, Continental Pharma Cryosan, which then sold the plasma to
Toronto-based Connaught Laboratories. Connaught apparently didn't realize the plasma
had come from prisoners.
Canadians learned of the prison plasma scheme in 1995, when Justice Horace Krever's
inquiry unearthed some aspects of the story. Last September, the Citizen revealed
further details.
Also last fall, Mr. Galster went public with his accusations about the Arkansas prison
system, where he conducted orthopedic clinics during the 1980s. Mr. Galster published
a book, Blood Trail, which is a fictionalized ac
count of how the prison-plasma program worked.
He wrote under a pseudonym because he feared reprisals. Soon after media stories began
appearing, he revealed his true identity. In February, he organized and participated
in a news conference in Washington where Canadian
victims called for a probe by the U.S. Justice Department and
announced plans to depose Mr. Clinton.
Mr. Galster said yesterday he is reeling with shock from the
firebombing of his clinic, which he has owned for 21 years.
He said he worked until about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and was later called
at home about the fire.
"I'm trying not to get too paranoid about it. I pray to God that it
was just a coincidence."
Mr. Galster said that if someone is trying to silence him, it won't
work.
"They're barking up the wrong tree. They can't erase the victims who
are seeking the truth."
Pine Bluff's fire marshal, Capt. Randy Rushing, said the state crime
lab has been called in to help with the arson investigation.
Capt. Rushing said fire officials have a "couple of leads," but have
no evidence on a motive.
In Montreal, hemophilia society officials are puzzled.
In recent days, the group learned that Mr. Martin was a director of
the Canada Development Corporation (CDC) from 1981 to 1986 -- the key
years of the tainted blood scandal. The CDC was created with federal
seed money to promote the country's leading industries and owned a
variety of firms, including Connaught.
The Citizen published details of the story on Saturday, and indicated
that Mr. Martin has no recollection of any discussions about tainted
blood while a CDC board member. The article stated that Mr. Martin's
connection to the CDC had been "unearthed" by the hemophilia society.
Just three days later, the break-in occurred. Thieves entered the
office of executive director Pierre Desmarais and were selective in
what they took.
Mr. Desmarais said that because the thieves stole documents -- not
just computer equipment -- it appears they were looking for
information, not goods.
"It's really frightening. This is the kind of thing you see in
movies."
Copyrighty 1999 Ottawa Citizen
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