Chiquita sued over Colombia role

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Chiquita's says its workers were being threatened by fighters

US banana company Chiquita Brands has been sued by the relatives of

people killed by a paramilitary group the firm has admitted to doing

business with.

Earlier this year, Chiquita said it paid the United Self Defence

Forces of Colombia (AUC) about $1.7m (£860,000) for the " protection "

of its workers.

 

The AUC is a US designated-terrorist group and Chiquita agreed to pay

$25m to end a Justice Department probe.

 

Chiquita traces its roots back to 1870 and is one of the largest

banana firms.

 

As well as Colombia, the main banana exporting nations are Ecuador,

Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, and the Philippines.

 

Employees' lives

 

US investigators began a three-year investigation of Chiquita after

the company admitted to them that it had been making the payments to

the AUC after workers were threatened.

 

Colombia has been beset by four decades of conflict that has involved

the AUC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), and other

groups, and in which thousands of Colombians have died.

 

Lawyers said that they were suing Chiquita for damages on behalf of

144 people who were killed by either the AUC or Farc.

 

 

Chiquita said it made " protection " payments after threats to staff

 

" This is a landmark case, maybe the biggest terrorism case in

history, " said Terry Collingsworth, the relatives' lead lawyer.

 

" Putting Chiquita on trial for hundreds, or even thousands of murders

could put them out of business, " he said.

 

Chiquita has since sold the Colombian arm of its business.

 

" The company was forced to make payments to both left and right-wing

paramilitary organizations to protect the lives of our employees, "

said Mike Mitchell, a spokesman for Chiquita.

 

" It is absolutely untrue for anyone to suggest the payments were made

for any other purpose, " he said.