In a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on March 14 Chiquita Brands International agreed to pay a $25 million fine after admitting it paid terrorists for protection in a dangerous region of Colombia. The payments, made between 1997 and 2004, continued despite the company's knowledge that they were illegal. The company was allowed to continue profitable production during the investigation. The U.S. government's action is inconsistent with standards and procedure used against charities, which have had their assets seized and frozen while investigations are pending. Six U.S. charities have been shut down on the basis of much less evidence than the direct payments to which Chiquita admitted. The Chiquita fine is unlikely to affect its operations, as the company has annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion.
Isn't the world banana's?
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