Havana, October 3 (RHC)-- Havana's Provincial Court announced its ruling against several ex-officials and foreign businessmen for crimes associated with corruption in the sectors of sugar, mining and tourism, which inflicted on Cuba an economic damage calculated at 91 million 697,996 dollars.
An article published in Granma newspaper explains that the court gave its sanctions accordingly for the crimes of bribery, continued forgery of banking and trade documents, illegal economic activities, trafficking in currency, tax evasion, fraud, thus passing the following ruling:
Former sugar vice-minister Nelson Labrada, a total 20-year prison sentence; Canadian businessman Vahe Cy Tokmakjian, a total 15-year prison sentence; former director of the Nickel company Cubanickel, Alberto Cirilo Panton, Ernesto Gomez and Claudio Franco Vetere were each given 12 years in prison; Antonio Gili Gonzalez, 11 years, Jorge Luis Machado, Armando Enrique Martinez and Boris Ernesto Barber, 10 years each; Leonardo Fidel Delgado, Manuel Fernandez and Edmundo Javier Cabrera, 9 years in prison; former executives of the tourist sector, Jorge Luis Melo, Marco Puche Rodriguez, Fidel Penin and Jose Rene Rubio, 8 prison years each; and Elsa Fernandez, a 6-year prison sentence.
The court ruling also includes other sanctions such as confiscations, prohibition of professional activity related to foreign trade and the prohibition of corresponding migratory prohibitions and public rights.
Additionally, Vahe Cy Tokmakjian will compensate Cuban entities that were affected for the crimes and the Cuban State in particular for the crime of tax evasion, with his properties, shares and rights, and in a subdiary manner with the patrimony of the companies Tokmakjian Group Inc., Tokmakjian Limited, CYMC Corp., Tokmakjian International Inc., and Perry Inertrade Inc., which were declared third parties responsible for the crime committed by Tokmakjian.
The Havana Court's ruling can be appealed before the People’s Supreme Court.