The U.S. government is investigating Chiquita Brands International Inc. for making "protection" payments to certain Colombian groups, which the U.S. says, are terrorist organizations, the company said last week.

The U.S. government is investigating Chiquita Brands International Inc. for making "protection" payments to certain Colombian groups, which the U.S. says, are terrorist organizations, the company said last week. Chiquita's Chief Executive Fernando Aguirre said in a conference call with analysts that the company is taking the investigation very seriously, but believe it's manageable. "I want to stress that this issue only involves our Colombia subsidiary," Aguirre said. The U.S. Department of Justice recently indicated it will be evaluating the role and conduct of the company and some of its officers into a matter involving Chiquita's banana subsidiary in Colombia, Chiquita said.