Este 7 de junio termina el juicio civil a Chiquita Brands por financiación a paramilitares

0:00 At the WU Colonel Daniel' s report we have today from Chiquita Brand Good morning July. This is Colonel Hoy' s report ending the civil trial of multinational Bananera Chiquita Brance in Westpan Beach, Florida. This is a process where a 10- member jury will determine whether the multinational Bananera must compensate victims of paramilitaryism in Urabá, Colombia. It is judicially approved that Chiquita Brawns, through its subsidiaries in Colombia, such as Ban Adex, paid a$ 7 million to the paramilitary groups that operated in Urabá. The payments were made by the Bananera between one thousand nine hundred ninety- seven and two thousand four. These payments began to occur periodically after a meeting between Carlos Castaño and directors of Banadex.

1:00 The payments were initially made with donation checks, associations with living and then, in cash, just when the United States Government declared terrorist organization to the so- called United Self- Defense Forces of Colombia. There are more than 100 payments demonstrated at the same time that the paramilitaries of the area killed and displaced thousands of people and executed the massacres of mutatis mutandis Pavarandó and Apartado, in which thirty- six people were killed, some after being tortured and burned alive with acid to confess that they were guerrillas. Payments to paramilitaries were approved by the senior management of Chiquita Bransen, Cincinnati, Ohio and continued after the then U S Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, publicly warned about the terrorist nature of the auc In addition, Chiqui Ta Borran' s payments The paramilitaries were recorded in the company' s accounting books as security services costs and were used in filing taxes to obtain tax discounts in the United States. Like it' s not enough. Chiquita Brands, benefited by the government of the time, by the Colombian government of the time, with the granting of a special customs zone, used its port facilities in Urabaa to receive a shipment of

2:31 three thousand and four hundred rifles here forty- seven and more than five million munitions from Nicaragua. The arsenal was used to arm the paramilitaries who carried out the massacres. For these reasons, already in two thousand seven, Chiquita Brans agreed to pay the US government a fine of twenty- five million dollars, but not a penny reached the victims of the paramilitaries in Colombia. Today ends the Owestpan Beach trial, where a jury must determine whether these Colombian victims should be financially repaired by the Chiquita Brance company, which financed the murderers of their relatives and displaced persons. Much of the judicial investigation by which the trials of Chiquita Brans in the United States have been possible was advanced by Colombian journalist Ignacio Gómez, today director of Noticias Uno, but who started this investigation when working in the newspaper El perspectante. They have also been decisive. The investigations of the U S reporter My Gallager. Chiquita Brance' s senior executives have said they made the numerous payments to paramilitaries under threats. The inexplicable thing is that they never denounced such threats in the United States or Colombia, but they did integrate those disbursements into their accounts and claim tax benefits on payments to criminal groups.

4:00 The accusation of the U S Department of Justice speaks eloquently to Bro Comillas. What makes this morally repugnant behavior is that the Chiquita Brance company continued month after month, year after year paying the same terrorists. He did so knowing perfectly well that his farms were safe because they paid for the bullets that killed innocent Colombians. Sierra Comillas. In the trial, video statements have been presented by the paramilitaries Salvator and Mancuso Raúl Hasbum, known as Pedro Bonito and Ignacio Roldán, alias Monoleche. It is possible that the verdict will take place today and that the ten jurors will determine whether Chiquita Brams should compensate the victims of the paramilitaries she sponsored. Chiquita is the heiress of the United Truth Company, the company associated with the massacre of workers in the banana zone of Magdalena almost a century ago. In a thousand nine hundred and seventy- five, after a stock sale transaction, the United Truth Company changed its name to Chiquita Brance.

5:10 For the history of violence and bribery of layo United was coined the term Banana Republic banana republics used by some people to refer with such contempt to our countries. In this matter, as in many, victims may end up being blamed for their suffering. This was today' s Colonel report. Thank you very much.