The victims of the case against the Chiquita Brands executives convicted of financing paramilitarism are considering new legal action in Colombia and abroad to seek full reparations for the crimes they were subjected to due to this criminal alliance.
Lawyer Gerardo Vega, of the Forjando Futuros Foundation, noted that the US$3.4mn fines and 11 years imprisonment meted out to seven former Chiquita executives last week does not constitute direct reparations for the victims, but rather is intended by the court to be used to “strengthen the administration of justice”.
He indicated that attorneys are legally studying the possibility of ensuring that the funds currently allocated to the fine for the Superior Council of the Judiciary actually reach the victims.
He also insisted that the government must pursue diplomatic action with US authorities and with Chiquita Brands itself to ensure they compensate victims for financing paramilitary groups.
According to Vega, the funds provided facilitated the paramilitary’s acquisition of weapons, such as the purchase of 5,000 rifles through the port of Zungo, in Urabá, which was a dock for Banadex and Chiquita Brands.
“With that money, the paramilitary groups bought rifles and kept men. With those rifles, they caused hundreds of massacres, homicides, murders, and disappearances,” Vega said.
Forjando Futuro Foundation has so far represented 400 people before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, in addition to acting for 54,000 victims in the Urabá region who suffered acts of violence at the hands of the paramilitaries. According to Vega, 6,000 of these victims have requested reparations in US courts.
“But if all these victims are recognised by the Colombian State, that should be enough for them to receive direct reparations with those resources,” he indicated.
