Colombia’s National Police extradited five Colombian nationals to the United States on August 6, 2026, handing them over to US federal authorities in connection with investigations into drug trafficking, money laundering and transnational organized crime.

The five men were delivered by officers from the Dirección de Investigación Criminal e Interpol (DIJIN) and transported under security escort on a flight accompanied by the US Marshals Service. The extraditions followed requests from US courts and investigations involving alleged cocaine trafficking, financial operations and international arms networks.

“This extradition represents a decisive blow against networks involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and crimes against collective security operating in the region.” – Policía Nacional de Colombia

Alleged arms-for-cocaine network

Among those extradited was Wilmar Cortés Hurtado, who is wanted by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on drug trafficking and criminal conspiracy charges.

Wisam Nagib Kherfan Okde and Alirio Rafael Quintero Quintero were also handed over to US authorities. Colombian investigators accuse the pair of leading a criminal organization involved in money laundering and international arms trafficking.

According to the Colombian government, investigators allege that the organization used connections with members of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria to divert military weapons. Those weapons were allegedly subsequently routed to structures of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) in exchange for cocaine shipments between 2024 and 2025.

The investigation also alleges that cryptocurrency and complex financial transactions in countries such as Ghana and Morocco were used to facilitate money laundering connected to drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups.

The allegations have not been established as findings of guilt, and the defendants will face proceedings in the United States.

Cocaine trafficking and international routes

Helmer Hurtado Hurtado, also wanted by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, was extradited on drug trafficking and criminal conspiracy charges connected to an international narcotics investigation.

Jacob Estenyer Jory Salazar was also among the five. Colombian authorities allege that he coordinated cocaine shipments destined for the United States and Mexico using multiple transportation methods, including speedboats, container vessels, semi-submersible vessels and aircraft.

Seven additional extraditions

The August 6 handover followed the extradition of seven other individuals to the United States and Panama during the previous week.

Six Colombian nationals were delivered to US authorities. They included Jheison Rodríguez López and Edilberto López Farelo, who were initially taken to the Unidad de Reacción Inmediata in Valledupar after their capture. Colombian authorities said the two attempted to escape from the facility but were immediately recaptured.

Eufrosino Ramos Díaz was captured during a raid at his residence and faces extradition proceedings in the United States on a charge involving a conspiracy to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine.

Daniel Alfonso de la Rosa Robles and Pedro Lucas Robles Iguarán were identified by Colombian authorities as alleged members of a trafficking network that obtained narcotics from clandestine laboratories in the Catatumbo region and Alta Guajira. Investigators allege that the pair coordinated maritime shipments using speedboats to move cocaine toward Central America and the Caribbean, with the United States as the final destination.

Nilson Snyder Vásquez Duarte, known as “El Sobri,” was identified as an alleged financial operator responsible for receiving and managing large sums of money generated by drug trafficking organizations, with alleged connections to Colombian and Mexican cartels.

The seventh person extradited during the previous week was Panamanian national Jorge Antonio Zurita Julian, known as “El Gordo Pibe,” who was handed over to Panamanian authorities. He is wanted in Panama on money laundering and crimes against collective security charges related to drug trafficking. Colombian investigators allege that he used a company registered in his wife’s name to disguise illicit funds as legitimate business proceeds.

The extraditions form part of Colombia’s continuing cooperation with foreign authorities through DIJIN and Interpol. The individuals remain subject to judicial proceedings in the requesting countries, and the allegations described by Colombian authorities have not resulted in final convictions.

Headline photo: Five men being escorted to board on the plane extraditing them to the US. (Photo by the Colombian National Police)

The Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism) hosted the first Foro de Reencuentro Económico CELAC–África at the Ágora Convention Center in Bogotá on March 20, 2026. The event, held as part of a broader high-level forum, aimed to strengthen commercial and investment ties between Colombia and the African continent. During the proceedings, officials identified various sectors for potential growth, including jewelry, agricultural machinery, construction materials, software, digital marketing, and food and beverages.

Minister of Trade Diana Marcela Morales Rojas stated that the forum represents a strategic shift toward trade equity and shared economic opportunities. Over the past four years, the Colombian government has sought to diversify its market reach through economic diplomacy, trade missions, and the establishment of new logistical routes to Africa. Data from 2025 indicates that these efforts have resulted in a significant increase in non-mining and non-energy exports to the continent.

“We aim for this forum to mark the beginning of a new stage: one of strategic cooperation, trade with equity, and the construction of shared opportunities.” — Diana Marcela Morales Rojas, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism.

According to ministry figures, non-mining exports to Africa reached $296.5 million USD in 2025, representing a 112% increase compared to 2024. In terms of volume, these shipments totaled 209,273 tons, a 226.8% rise over the previous year. These goods accounted for 46.6% of Colombia’s total exports to the continent, signaling a shift toward a more diversified export basket. Key products driving this growth include coffee, bananas, machinery, paper, and apparel.

The number of Colombian firms participating in this trade has also expanded. In 2025, 165 companies exported non-mining goods to Africa with values exceeding $10,000 USD, up from 145 companies in 2024. This 15.2% growth in participating firms underscores a transition toward higher value-added exports. Vice President Francia Márquez Mina noted that the economies of Latin America and Africa are complementary, offering potential for the development of new value chains and the utilization of strategic mineral reserves necessary for the global energy transition.

A central component of the forum was a business matchmaking event held on March 17 and 18. Preliminary results from the session show expected trade operations totaling $16 million USD. Nicolás Mejía, Vice President of Exports at ProColombia, characterized the results as a validation of the current market diversification plan. Since the beginning of the current administration, the government has implemented the Estrategia África 2022–2026 to strengthen socioeconomic relations with the region.

Through commercial intelligence analysis, the Colombian government has prioritized nine specific markets for its diplomatic and economic deployment: South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria. These nations serve as the primary focus for the continued implementation of the 2022–2026 strategy.

Above photo: MinCIT/Ricardo Báez.

Lilian Perea (above photo), CEO of Bayport Colombia, stated, “Partnering with Cerberus underscores our commitment to financial inclusion in Colombia, as well as our financial strength and operational excellence. We remain dedicated to contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.”

Rob Milam, Managing Director at Cerberus, added, “We are pleased to continue providing innovative credit solutions to Bayport Colombia as they expand in the Colombian payroll loan market. This investment extends the partnership we began with Bayport in 2019.”

A subsidiary of South Africa based Bayport, the company has been operating in Colombia since 2011 and claims to have more than 68,000 payroll loan customers among its market focus of public employees and pensioners. In Colombia the company has a 1.1 trillion-peso loan portfolio and operates 17 offices across 15 cities. Globally, Bayport says it serves half a million borrowers in México, Colombia, Botswana, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Bayport Colombia currently claims leadership of Colombia’s non-bank payroll lending market in Colombia with 30% market share. Called Libranzas, the loans are offered through employers and paid off through payroll deductions.

” Bayport has set high standards in terms of corporate governance, policies and procedures in the origination of payroll loans and best practices in the selection of payers and collections. With a significant growth in the recent years, our initiatives promote financial well-being, generating greater entrepreneurial opportunities in the country.  We are excited that this transaction with Nomura will allow us to continue with our mission,” says Lilian Perea (above), CEO of Bayport Colombia.

“Despite the economic outlook for 2023, we will remain faithful to our higher purpose of improving the living conditions and development opportunities of Colombians through payroll loans. We have always been very optimistic, and we hope to continue opening doors to new and better possibilities.”

A subsidiary of South Africa based Bayport, the company has been operating in Colombia since 2011 and claims to have more than 68,000 payroll loan customers among its market focus of public employees and pensioners. In Colombia the company has a 1.1 trillion-peso loan portfolio and operates 17 offices across 15 cities. Globally, Bayport says it serves half a million borrowers in México, Colombia, Botswana, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Established in 1991, the annual pageant claims the mission of promoting host country tourism. This year, representatives from 40 countries participated.

Hazel Daniela Zúñiga was born in Quindió and grew up in Bogotá, where she started modeling at the age of 13. She was named Miss Teen Quindió and Miss Teen Universe, representing Colombia in 2012 in Guatemala, then Miss Planet Colombia in Uganda.

Zúñiga graduated magna laude from the Sergio Arboleda University, where she studied marketing and international business.

“I am very happy to leave the name of our country high, the country where I was born today is much stronger. As a representative of Colombia I was able to tell the world  that Colombia is a country full of positive and relevant facts, I was able to show that we are millions of Colombians who leave the name of our country high, representing our talent and carrying the baton of joy around the planet. Today I feel much more proud of my country and of all Colombians who are characterized by joy and also resilience, who are  willing to achieve what we dream of and to demonstrate that our negative image of the past is displaced by positive images that we have just demonstrated through our tourism and culture. ”

In addition to Zúñiga taking Miss Tourism America 2022, Miss Tourism Asia 2022 was awarded to Pakinee Duangpattra of Thailand, Miss Tourism Africa 2022 was awarded to Emmanuella Apuri of Ghana and Duygu Cerit of Turkey won the title of Miss Tourism Europe 2022.

The secured resources will be used to grant loans to workers, retirees, and members of the country’s armed forces, who according to Bayport, have had a difficult time obtaining access to bank financing.

Payroll-based consumer lending is known as Libranzas in Colombia

Elizabeth Rey, Corporate & Investment Banking Head for Citi Colombia told Finance Colombia that “Citi conducted extensive due diligence efforts over Bayport’s business, including among others, the assessment of its corporate governance standards, its credit profile, loan portfolio, and growth prospects, evidencing on the company’s stand as a relevant player in Colombia’s payroll loan industry and its contribution to financial inclusion locally.”

“We continue to explore various options to achieve, in the second half of the year, the double-digit growth of our portfolio estimated in 2022.  We decided to prioritize financing with Citibank Colombia given the size of the financing opportunity and the optimal conditions they offer us,” says Lilian Perea (above photo), CEO of Bayport Colombia.

“Achieving this financial transaction closing with Citibank Colombia allows us to secure sufficient resources to continue providing opportunities to those Colombians who do not have access to bank loans due to their low credit score, which prevents them from progressing and improving their quality of life. That is why we work hard to achieve financial democratization and seek alliances with organizations in which we share the vision of promoting progress in emerging economies like ours, to ensure access to credit lines tailored to the needs of Colombians so that they can move forward, transform their lives and achieve their dreams,” says Perea.

“For over a century of operations, Citi Colombia has been a trusted partner for its clients, connecting financial institutions, multinationals, national companies and governments through our unparalleled global network. For more than 100 years we have worked hard to be a bridge for investors willing to bet on this country’s future, as well as for Colombian entrepreneurs looking to internationalize their businesses. Citi has a clear vision of its role in ensuring this stability, contributing to the country’s economic recovery, and closing the gaps in Colombian society. We know that Colombia offers excellent investment opportunities, both in traditional segments and new avenues for growth that have great potential for the country’s entrepreneurial and technological talent, natural resources and biodiversity, and strategic geographic position, concluded Rey.

Bayport Colombia initiated operations in Colombia in 2011, and now claims 65,000 borrowers with 1.1 billion pesos in loans. This gives Bayport 30% of the non-bank consumer lender market in the country, with 17 branches in 15 cities.

Bayport Management was formed in South Africa to offer simple credit alternatives to those who lack access to bank financing. Globally, Bayport serves half a million borrowers in Botswana, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Mexico and Colombia.

This temporary action is necessary to ensure the health and safety of dogs imported into the United States and to protect the public’s health against the reintroduction of canine rabies virus variant (dog rabies) into the United States.

Dr. Emily Pieracci of the CDC told US News Outlet NPR that during 2020, the CDC discovered over 450 cases of dogs arriving to the US from certain countries with false vaccination certificates, prompting the agency to issue the emergency order.

Last year, the CDC identified a significant increase compared with the previous 2 years in the number of imported dogs that were denied entry into the United States from high-risk countries. Due to reduced flight schedules, dogs denied entry are facing longer wait times to be returned to their country of departure, leading to illness and even death in some cases.

CDC estimates 6% of all dogs imported into the United States arrive from countries at high risk for dog rabies. Inadequately vaccinated dogs are not protected against rabies and are a public health threat. Rabies is fatal in both humans and animals, and the importation of even one rabid dog could result in transmission to humans, pets, and wildlife. Dog rabies has been eliminated from the United States since 2007. This suspension will protect the health and safety of imported dogs by preventing importations of dogs inadequately vaccinated against rabies and will protect the public’s health against the reintroduction of dog rabies.

CDC has coordinated with other federal agencies and entities as necessary to implement this action, and CDC will review this suspension periodically.

Dogs from high-risk countries may be imported only with CDC’s advance written approval (CDC Dog Import Permit), including dogs imported from a country NOT at high risk if the dogs have been in a high-risk country during the previous 6 months. Such approvals may be granted on a limited case-by-case basis at CDC’s discretion. If your request for advance approval to import a dog is denied, CDC’s written denial will constitute final agency action. No appeals will be allowed.

To request advance written approval, you must follow the instructions at How to Apply for a CDC Dog Import Permit and send an email to CDC at CDCanimalimports@cdc.gov, at least 30 business days (6 weeks) before you intend to enter the United States. Requests cannot be made at the port of entry upon arrival into the United States. Dogs that arrive from high-risk countries without advance written approval from CDC will be denied entry and returned to the country of departure at the importer’s expense.

All dogs from high-risk countries granted advance written approval (CDC Dog Import Permit) must enter the United States at a port of entry with a live animal care facility with a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)-issued Facilities Information and Resource Management System (FIRMS) code. At the time of publication of the FRN, the only approved facility is located at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City. CDC will update the list of approved ports of entry at this website as they become available.

Restricted Countries:

Americas & Caribbean

• Belize, Bolivia, Brazil
• Colombia, Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador, El Salvador
• Guatemala, Guyana
• Haiti, Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Peru
• Suriname
• Venezuela

Asia, the Middle East, Europe

• Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Brunei
• Cambodia, China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan)
• Georgia
• India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan
• Laos, Lebanon
• Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma)
• Nepal, North Korea
• Oman
• Pakistan, Philippines
• Qatar
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria
• Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Turkey, Turkmenistan
• Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan
• Vietnam
• Yemen

Africa

• Algeria, Angola
• Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi
• Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti
• Egypt (Temporary importation suspension of dogs from Egypt until further notice)
• Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia
• Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
• Kenya
• Lesotho, Liberia, Libya
• Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique
• Namibia, Niger, Nigeria
• Republic of the Congo, Rwanda
• Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan
• Tanzania (including Zanzibar), Togo, Tunisia
• Uganda
• Western Sahara
• Zambia, Zimbabwe

If a country or political unit is not listed above, it is not considered high risk for importing dog rabies into the United States. Therefore, if the country is not listed, CDC strongly recommends a rabies vaccine certificate, but it is not required to enter the United States.

If you want to learn more about how the United States determines risk for importing dog rabies, visit CDC’s Rabies Branch. To learn your risk for rabies as a traveler, see Travelers’ Health.

Cape Verde government officials have said that Saab should be extradited, but a West African court has said that he should be freed. His fate has been appealed to the Cape Verde Courts, and while that procedure rolls forward, a groundswell of discontent, crying “Free Alex Saab” has popped up on Twitter, with an apparent epicenter in West Africa, where few people would have ever heard of Alex Saab; a Colombian of Lebanese ancestry.

BuzzFeed News teamed up with the Digital Africa Research Lab to look into the surprising support coming from Nigeria on Twitter with the #FreeAlexSaab hashtag. According to the journalists, the operation was masterminded by a Nigerian PR firm and a British nonprofit called Digital Good Governance for Africa.  According to the BuzzFeed report, this organized “AstroTurf” (US political slang for fake grassroots organizing) campaign paid influencers to tweet support for Alex Saab in an attempt to influence the judicial process in Cape Verde and broader public opinion.

When #FreeAlexSaab started trending on Twitter, the scam quickly unraveled.

Twitter subsequently suspended over 1,500 twitter accounts, including a Nigerian influencer with a large following who is alleged to have paid for positive tweets about Alex Saab. Supposed legitimate journalists for the Nigerian Tribune and TheCable also had their accounts suspended, as they not only tweeted support for Alex Saab, but tagged Twitter account @Fernand47588665, which the investigators said was used to verify tweets for compensation.

Ringleaders Exposed

Buzzfeed reports that Nigerian human rights activists and social media influencers received a document from Digital Good Governance for Africa, led by professor Naji Makarem, a lecturer at University College in London, and Nigerian expatriate Christian Elemele with instructions to recruit West African Influencers to gin up support for Saab.

“The influencer is expected to use the hashtags #FreeAlexSaab and tag prominent Nigerians, Ghanians and Sengalese handles from government, business, celebrities, activists etc. which will be provided to the influencer,” read the document.

The report goes on to say that Nigerian PR firm Alpha Reach employees recruited 40 Nigerian influencers with over a million total followers to participate in the scam. When investigators reached Alpha Reach head Japheth Omojuwa, he responded “I don’t think I can start to have a conversation about whether Alpha is involved. If they are, there have definitely been some form of nondisclosure,” Omojuwa said, before eventually issuing a statement to the effect that his organization was not involved, though also saying that it was possible firm employees worked on the campaign.

Government Involvement

BuzzFeed did not go so far as to accuse the Venezuelan or any other government for backing or participating in the operation, however the British paper Financial Times did, saying that it obtained an intelligence document concluding the Venezuelan regime “and/or its proxies (witting or unwitting) are involved in a coordinated campaign to influence both the government of Cabo Verde and its population to obstruct Alex Saab’s extradition.”

Twitter Shares Blame

The whole incident is not terribly surprising. Venezuela wants Alex Saab protected not only because he has been very valuable as a proxy for Maduro and making deals to get what the Venezuelan government wants, but the Maduro regime also fears what secrets he might cough up once US prosecutors get their hands on him. It should be said that Saab is also facing charges of fraud, corruption & money laundering in his own country of Colombia, where Colombian prosecutors have already seized several of his luxury properties.

Twitter has become the vehicle of choice for troll farms, influence peddlers, and fake accounts of all types as well as generalized nastiness—largely due to the anonymity it affords, and the ease at which fake or bot-controlled accounts can be set up with no verification. The very structure of Twitter makes it easy to buy influence and fabricate false outrage. The company seems reluctant to address this issue, which must be dealt with at the structural level, not the individual account level. Until then, troll farms from Nigeria to Russia to North Korea to Arizona.

“Incofin is a company focused on investing in countries with emerging economies, driven by the desire to promote inclusive growth. This is why we closed this agreement as an alliance to promote that objective, now that our operation is aligned with a sector of people who are typically marginalized by their risk,” said Lilian Perea, CEO of Bayport Colombia.

According to Bayport, these resources are vital at this juncture to offer credit to people involved in agriculture, entrepreneurship, the education of their children, even family emergencies, but because of low or negative credit ratings, do not have access to the banking sector.

Worldwide, Bayport serves more than half a million customers in 9 countries: Botswana, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Mexico and Colombia.

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus (AIR.PA) has already admitted guilt and accepted deferred prosecution agreements (similar to “probation”) with prosecutors from the US, UK and France. Airbus has agreed to accept culpability and pay over $3.9 billion USD in penalties.

Larger than Odebrecht: According to the US Department of Justice, this is the largest bribery resolution in history.

According to the approved judgement in the United Kingdom’s Crown Court at Southwark, case number U20200108, The SFO’s (UK’s Serious Fraud Office) investigation related to bribery offenses in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and Ghana. The PNF’s (Parquet National Financier of France) investigation related to bribery and corruption offenses in China, Colombia, Nepal, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia (Arabsat), Taiwan and Russia. The JIT (Joint Investigation Team) investigation into Airbus’ conduct in Colombia was led by the SFO but the SFO agreed that this conduct should be included in the French CJIP (Judicial Public Interest Agreement) to reflect French primacy in the JIT investigation. The DOJ investigation relates to bribery and corruption offenses in China and violations of parts 126.1, 129 and 130 of the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) concerning a number of jurisdictions. The DOS’s investigation relates to civil violations of ITAR concerning various jurisdictions.

The French CJIP is the potentially most damning document against Airbus regarding Avianca. In it, starting on page 18, it goes into detail on Airbus’ clandestine arrangements with an Avianca executive, and then controlling shareholder Synergy Group, controlled by Germán Efromovich.

(Translated from French): Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A. Avianca (“Avianca”) is the national airline of Colombia. It was part of Synergy Group, a South American conglomerate, which owns several other airlines operating mainly in South America. Avianca Holding SA (“Avianca Holdings”) is the parent company of Avianca.

Between 2006 and 2014, Airbus concluded several consultant contracts with an intermediary salesperson operating through a company headquartered in Colombia to assist it in its campaigns with Avianca and the companies of the Synergy group. Some of these contracts provided in particular for the payment of a performance commission to the intermediary, representing either a lump sum per aircraft sold or per campaign, or a percentage of the price of aircraft sold. Part of the total compensation due to this intermediary for services rendered in campaigns with Avianca and Synergy was to be paid through these consultant agreements and another part through investment projects.

The investigation revealed that from the end of 2014, it was envisaged that part of the remuneration due the commercial intermediary, which was then the subject of a global renegotiation, be secretly transferred to an executive of Avianca Holdings. This person was an interlocutor for Airbus, and key in the ongoing commercial negotiations between Avianca and Airbus on the sale of the Airbus A320neo aircraft that Avianca purchased.

According to an email from an Airbus employee sent in November 2013, company officials were instructed to provide “AAA treatment because we are campaigning with Avianca / Synergy”.

In October 2014, an Airbus manager thus sent an email to an SMO International employee to ask him if he had been able to speak to the manager of Avianca Holdings. This employee has confirmed, during the internal investigation conducted by Airbus, that the manager of Avianca Holdings had requested a commission for the role he had played to support the sales campaign of the Airbus A320neo to Avianca, already in progress.

On November 17, 2014, the employee of SMO International sent an email to two executives, leaders of SMO International, informing them that discussions with the commercial intermediary with regards the fees still due. He was progressing and that he had proposed to the intermediary a “Global negotiation for the past and the future”. This email also mentioned that the Aforementioned Airbus official had agreed to this negotiation.

On November 25, 2014, the same Airbus manager sent an email to two employees of SMO International in which he indicated: “What (X) said is that, for the past, instead of 20 we do 15, including 5 å (Y). And, for the new contract, 4 for (Y) and 2 for the other 6.” 6 X here designates a senior executive of Airbus commercial. and Y designates the executive officer of Avianca Holdings.

According to paragraph 18 of the UK judgement, SMO International (Strategy & Marketing Organization) was set up by Airbus back when it was still EADS France SAS for “Business Partner appointments and International Market Development projects.”

Avianca lawyers up

Finance Colombia immediately reached out to contacts within Avianca for a response. The airline shared a written statement that reads as follows (verbatim):

Subsequent to the recently announced settlement between Airbus SE (“Airbus”) and authorities in France, the UK, and the United States regarding corrupt business practices at Airbus, Avianca announced today that it has retained the services of Ropes & Gray, a leading international law firm, to conduct an independent internal investigation into its relationship with Airbus and whether it has been the victim of wrongdoing.

Avianca will take all legal actions necessary to defend the interests of the Company and its shareholders, and will fully collaborate with all of the relevant authorities in France, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries as appropriate.

“Airbus’s disclosure contains deeply concerning information regarding alleged actions by an individual at Avianca in the period prior to March 2016. Our current management team strongly rejects any conduct that does not reflect integrity and transparency in business in general, and in particular towards Avianca. We will take all steps necessary to defend the Company’s interests, working together with the relevant authorities,” emphasized Anko van der Werff, President and CEO of Avianca Holdings.

It should be noted that if the allegations are true, Avianca would actually be a victim of the scandal, and not a perpetrator. The legal documents appear to implicate at least one high level Avianca and/or Synergy Group executive taking actions for personal again and against the interests of the airline.

“Airbus SE, the second largest Aerospace company world-wide, engaged in a systematic and deliberate conspiracy, that knowingly and willfully violated U.S. fraud and export laws,” said Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York.  “Airbus’s fraud and bribery in commercial aircraft transactions strengthened corrupt airlines and bad actors worldwide, at the expense of straightforward enterprises.  Additionally, the bribery of government officials, specifically those involved in the procurement of U.S. military technology, posed a national security threat to both the U.S. and its allies.”

According to admissions and court documents, beginning in at least 2008 and continuing until at least 2015, Airbus engaged in and facilitated a scheme to offer and pay bribes to decision makers and other influencers, including to foreign officials, in order to obtain improper business advantages and to win business from both privately owned enterprises and entities that were state-owned and state-controlled.  In furtherance of the corrupt bribery scheme, Airbus employees and agents, among other things, sent emails while located in the United States and participated in and provided luxury travel to foreign officials within the United States.

For its part, Denis Ranque, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airbus, stated: “The settlements we have reached today turn the page on unacceptable business practices from the past. The strengthening of our compliance programs at Airbus is designed to ensure that such misconduct cannot happen again. The agreements also reflect that the decision to voluntarily report and cooperate with the authorities was the right one. The commitment from the Board, and its Ethics and Compliance Committee, to provide full support to the investigation and the implementation of globally recognized compliance standards have paved the way to today’s agreements.”

• The US Deferred Prosecution Agreement can be viewed here.
• The US Charging document can be viewed here.
• Avianca’s 6-K filing in response to the US Securities & Exchange Commission can be viewed here.
• The UK judgement against Airbus can be viewed here.
• The French Anticorruption Agency CJIP mentioning Avianca can be viewed here.

Photo credit: Loren Moss