Bananas for Terror
From the Cincinnati Enquirer:Chiquita Brands International Inc. said Monday the Justice Department is investigating payments the company made to Colombian terrorist groups in response to threats against its workers.
Cincinnati-based Chiquita, the world's largest banana company, said it voluntarily informed the Justice Department in April 2003 that it made the payments over an undisclosed period of time.
Chiquita said the Justice Department was contacted after the company discovered the groups were listed on the State Department's Foreign Terrorist Organizations list. The list names 37 organizations, including al-Qaida as well as three groups in Colombia.
A Justice Department spokesman declined Monday to comment on the investigation. U.S. law makes it a crime to knowingly provide resources to terrorist organizations.
Chiquita would not say when the payments started or stopped, to whom they were made or how much was paid. But in its disclosure Monday, the company said the government's initial investigation has expanded to include "the role and conduct of the company and some of its officers."
Matt's Chat
Locally, Channel 19 made it sound as if Chiquita sent money to al Qaeda, but this article doesn't make that clear.The confusion is in the way Cliff Peale, the reporter, words the sentence about the Justice Department's list as having included al Qaeda. The article seems to suggest that Chiquita paid off terrorists groups in Columbia to prevent attacks on employees and facilities in that country. The AP story in the Dayton Daily News is less complicated, but also less informative.
All that aside, supporting ANY terrorist organization is bad news and somebody apparently knew that what they were doing was not right and should face justice on that issue.
Mark's Remarks
So that's where Uncle Carl's money for a quality starting pitcher went....hmmm....
