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Just when you thought that the story about the massive bribes, paid by Construtora Norberto Odebrecht SA, the Brazilian construction giant, couldn't get any worse, it does. Information, supplied in the past to law enforcement by a whistleblower, has now surfaced in Brazilian media, confirming that the contractor had a permanent arrangement, for reportedly over 20 years, with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, more commonly known as the FARC, whereby bribes were paid to the specially designated global terrorist organization, allegedly so that it would not interfere with Odebrecht projects in Colombia.
A payment figure of $50,000-100,000 per month was listed, and known to the FARC as a "guerilla tax." the corporation carried it as "operating cost," or "territorial tax,' to avoid it becoming known that the company was paying bribes to terrorists. Apparently, the payment began after two Odebracht executives were kidnapped in the 1990s.
Whatever political capital Odebrecht had left in Brazil, in the aftermath of its global bribery scandal, to enable it to survive as a business, will now be worthless, as the payments to the FARC will certainly be regarded as the last straw. Which FARC Commandante specifically received the payments will be of interest to the Government of Colombia, which will be seeking to collect all FARC assets, as a part of the peace process.
Chronicles of Monte Friesner
Contributed by Kenneth Rijock
