Chiquita sued again for abuses in Colombia

A class action lawsuit was filed in a U.S. federal court against banana firm Chiquita Brands based on the company’s role in the Colombian civil conflict. The plaintiffs represent 393 people who seek nearly $8 billion in damages against Chiquita who has been accused of paying off Colombia’s largest paramilitary group.

An attorney for the plaintiffs remarked the following after filing the civil suit on Tuesday:

"While Chiquita paid a fine to the United States government of $25 million, none of that money went to any of the victims," said attorney Jonathan Reiter.

"Chiquita has admitted to making payments to the AUC and now it should be held accountable by the families of people who were murdered by this organization.

The “fine” referred to by Reiter was the plea deal arranged by Chiquita and federal prosecutors in September; it absolved ten Chiquita executives while fining the company $25 million for hiring paramilitaries and guerillas to serve as “security’ in Colombia.

Sources- New York Times, AFP, Reuters, New York Daily News, The Latin Americanist, International Herald Tribune,

Image- The Mercury News