ESG Enforcement Tracker

Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace Court (JEP) has ordered the seizure of assets belonging to the Franco‑British oil company Perenco on the grounds that it financed paramilitary groups during the country’s armed conflict. The case concerns allegations that, between 1997 and 2005, Perenco provided money, fuel, food and transport to the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) in exchange for the protection of its oil wells, based on testimonies gathered by prosecutors.

Perenco denies any links with paramilitary groups and argues that it was not given the opportunity to exercise its defence. Two of its properties in Bogotá, valued at around US$10 million, have been seized and allocated to a fund for victims of the conflict, as part of broader efforts by Colombia’s transitional justice system to address crimes linked to a conflict that has caused over one million deaths.

The case echoes a 2024 US court ruling which found the fruit company Chiquita Brands International liable for financing the AUC and ordered it to pay over USD38 million in damages.