Tobacco chief could be held personally liable for damage to smokers

A new court ruling in Israel creates a precedent for tobacco company executives to be held personally liable for damage to their customers' health. The ruling, the first of its kind in the world, was handed down last week by the Jerusalem District Court against Zorah Gehl, former chief executive officer of the Israeli tobacco monopoly Dubek, which he headed from 1970 until the mid-1990s.

Mr Gehl fled to England under threat of a trial for alleged fraud, income tax avoidance and other misdeeds related to his tobacco company. As a result of …