Chiquita did not present its annual report until March 1, as planned, and expects it to be tabled on March 16. It is seeking approval of an amendment with lenders under a June 28 credit contract, he said. 2007 March 13 – The U.S. Department of Justice enters into a plea with Chiquita for payments to the AUC, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Carlos Holguin, Colombia`s minister of justice and interior, did not see things the same way, according to a Colombian radio station last week. The plea “is not worthy of American justice because it conveys the idea that impunity can be bought for a few million dollars,” he told Bogota radio station Caracol on Wednesday. On March 14, 2007, Chiquita Brands International agreed to pay a $25 million fine after admitting to paying terrorists to protect a dangerous region of Colombia, in a plea with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on March 14, 2007. Payments made between 1997 and 2004 continued despite the company`s knowledge that they were illegal. The company was allowed to continue profitable production during the investigation. The U.S. government`s action violates standards and procedures against charities whose property has been confiscated and frozen while investigations are ongoing. Six U.S.
charities were shut down on far less evidence than the direct payments That Chiquita admitted. Chiquita`s penalty is unlikely to affect its operations, as the company has annual sales of approximately $4.5 billion. The language of advocacy contains the statement that “Chiquita had previously paid money to other terrorist organizations operating in Colombia… from or around 1989 to … 1997, when the FARC and the ELN controlled areas where the accused was to produce bananas in Chiquita. The company, which has annual sales of about $4.5 billion worldwide, proposed a $25 million fine in March. Chiquita officials said Monday that they were pleased Lamberth had accepted the plea agreement. WASHINGTON (CNN) — Chiquita Brands International has entered into a plea with federal authorities for transactions with a terrorist organization. Under the terms of the agreement, the company will pay the fine in five annual tranches. The agreement is subject to approval and approval by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. In March 2007, Chiquita pleaded guilty to violating U.S.
anti-terrorism laws by funding another Colombian terrorist organization, Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia or AUC. (The FARC and AUC have been officially classified as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) by the U.S. State Department. The U.S. Department of Justice said it was able to demonstrate that Chiquita made similar payments to the FARC from 1989 to 1997. Chiquita eventually paid a $25 million fine to the U.S. government as part of its guilty verdict. “The Chiquita Papers confirm the idea that the AUC directed the show in 1997 in the banana production areas of northern Colombia, and that local government officials, military officers and business leaders supported their paramilitary operations,” Evans said.
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