The transnational fruit company Chiquita Brands International was declared responsible for financing a Colombian paramilitary group by a United States court, Borderland Beat reports on June 16.
Following a civil lawsuit filed by eight Colombian families whose relatives were murdered by the AUC armed group, Chiquita was ordered to pay damages to the families. Chiquita said in a statement that it intends to appeal the jury’s verdict, arguing that “there is no legal basis for the claims”.
In addition to paying protection money, Chiquita was also accused of smuggling weapons (3,000 AK-47s) to the AUC and helping the AUC smuggle drugs to Europe.
The jury in the case, which was tried in federal court in South Florida, found Chiquita responsible for the wrongful deaths of eight people killed by the AUC.
The AUC was involved in widespread human rights abuses in Colombia, including the murder of people suspected of having ties to leftist rebels.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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