Cuban authorities publicly recognized the existence of “a level” of corruption in the country, as well as “weaknesses” in state control that lead to events of this nature.
In a televised interview on the situation of crimes and illegal activities in Cuba, First Colonel Eddy Sierra Arias, head of the General Police Directorate on the island, pointed out that on the economic front “there is a level of corruption, crimes that generate significant amounts of money and damage, associative networks of budget fraud and other violations.”
In these events, he said, “management levels at different scales are involved, which has required and maintained permanent monitoring,” according to the report. Cubadebate.
According to Sierra Arias, control actions carried out by the police forces together with other State entities “have shown a level of weaknesses in the systems and protection schemes that generate losses to which attention must be paid.”
All of the above “generates a black economy, hoarding activities, speculation,” the senior official admitted in the program. Round tablein which he attributed these “manifestations of social indiscipline” to the “breakdown of values in society in some sectors of the population.”
Corruption scandal in the port of Santiago de Cuba: 78 implicated among officials and workers
see more
Likewise, the head of the General Directorate of Police recognized that the “complex situation” on the island – for which he blamed the US embargo/blockade mainly – “has an impact on daily life, on economic tensions that are experienced, and together with other external and internal factors, have direct consequences on the behavior of crime.”
“Poor” self-control and supervision
In her speech, Sierra Arias also highlighted the importance of preventive work “as a way to modify behaviors and phenomena,” and did not offer data on the number of economic crimes and acts of corruption detected by the Cuban authorities, nor on the losses caused by them, judging by the report of Cubadebate.
Nor did Miriam Marbán González, first vice comptroller general of the Republic, who assured that the authorities have the “political will to stop and eradicate corruption,” and highlighted prevention as “the main element to eradicate these scourges.”
The official explained that the crimes detected are, for the most part, cases of administrative corruption and specified that “between 20 and 30%” derive from an internal control system classified as “deficient or bad.”
“When the causes and conditions are analyzed, it can be seen that they have to do with indiscipline and illegalities,” said Marbán González.
In his opinion, “there is a deterioration in the ethical values of people who engage in this type of behavior,” as well as “deficient self-control in these entities and lack of supervision at administrative levels.”
Director of Commerce in Sancti Spíritus sentenced for “economic damages” related to a MSME
see more
The first deputy comptroller assured that “severe measures have always been adopted when these events are detected” and said that “more than 76%” of these measures are “separation of the sector.”
“There is no impunity,” concluded the official, who did not specify how many measures of this type have been taken on the island.
The statements of these authorities take place at a time when the Cuban government is carrying out an anti-corruption campaign, which has even led to the investigation of a high-ranking official such as the former Minister of Economy and Deputy Prime Minister Alejandro Gil.
At the same time, official media have recently uncovered several cases and corruption schemes across the island, involving state companies and entities as well as non-state actors.
