More than five years after filing suit, US federal prosecutors are wrapping up their groundbreaking racketeering case against major cigarette makers, accused of conspiring for decades to mislead the public about the health risks of smoking.

LAWYERS for the world’s leading cigarette makers have admitted that the companies sold dangerous and addictive products, but said they never conspired to hide those hazards.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) yesterday called in securities regulators and the state attorney general Eliot Spitzer to investigate the circumstances that led to a $188m (€147.8m) windfall for Richard Grasso, its former chief executive and chairman.