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Advocacy Blog
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Exemptions from Anti-Terror Laws
We have followed the Chiquita Brands International case and its intentional funding of Colombian terrorist organizations because of the apparent double standard that is applied to for profit companies compared to charities. More news has now surfaced which unfortunately details that the U.S. Justice Department knew of the company's payments. In April 2003 a board member of Chiquita disclosed to Michael Chertoff, then assistant attorney general and now secretary of homeland security, about the company's payments and clear violation of anti-terrorism laws. Allegedly, Chertoff told the Chiquita representatives that the activity was illegal, but they should wait for more feedback; "Chertoff acknowledged that the matter was complicated, and said that he would get back to them after conferring with other administration officials." Chiquita's executives were convinced that after the meeting with Chertoff and lacking any further response, the government had not clearly demanded that the payments stop. Now federal prosecutors are deciding whether or not to charge many former Chiquita company officials for approving the illegal payments. Lawyers for Chiquita claim that their clients did not intentionally break the law, but believed they were waiting for an answer from the government officials.
So here we have to greatly reiterate an important point, stressing the clear disparity in regards to the treatment of charities suspected of having links to terrorism and a company that admitted to funding terrorists. Federal action in cases involving the three largest U.S.-based Muslim charities appears to be based on questionable evidence. What is even more distressing is that with the case of Chiquita, the U.S. government knew about the payments. The attorney general of Colombia, Mario Iguaran denied claims that the company was a victim of extortion and said the company knew its payoffs were used to fund operations against peasants and union workers.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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