The decision is the first time Chiquita executives have faced punishment for their role in the 1990s conflict
Seven former Chiquita Brands executives have been sentenced by a Colombian court to US$3.4mn in fines and over 11 years in prison for their part in helping to finance right wing paramilitary groups.
They were found guilty of aggravated conspiracy for a series of crimes committed in the 1990s during the height of the conflict in the banana-growing region of Uraba, specifically the payment of US$1.7mn to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a right-wing group of paramilitaries. The fierce war pitted AUC against leftist guerrillas, who were sometimes aided by the regular army.
This is the first time that Chiquita executives have faced punishment. Those convicted include three former executives who held leadership roles at the company in Colombia between 1990 and 2004, including one American, Charles Dennis Keiser.
In 2024, a US court found Chiquita Brands International liable for financing the AUC and set a multi-million dollar compensation fund for victims of the civil war.
