|
Trial of former Cuban officials and
foreign entrepreneurs concludes
Held
June 9-21 in Havana’s Second Provincial People’s
Penal Courtroom, was the public trial of Canadian
businessmen Vahe Cy Tokmakjian, Marco Vinicio Puche
Rodríguez and Claudio Franco Vetere, charged with
the crimes of bribery; acts prejudicial to economic
activity or contracting; falsification of banking
and commercial documents; fraud; currency
trafficking; and tax evasion.
The
Attorney General of the Republic accused Vahe Cy
Tokmakjian of using fraudulent means and corruption
to obtain benefits in negotiations with Cuban
entities, causing considerable damage to the
economy; operating as a financial intermediary
without appropriate authorization; illegally
removing large sums of money from the country;
altering information in accounting records and tax
statements with the purpose of avoiding obligations;
as well as making monetary payments to several
workers, who performed functions which they were not
legally authorized to perform, or were not
contracted by national entities to perform.
Also
charged were Cuban officials from the former
Ministry of Sugar: Nelson Ricardo Labrada Fernández
(former deputy minister), Manuel Heriberto Fernández
Santiesteban, Leonardo Fidel Delgado Dorta, Jorge
Luis Machado Pérez and José René Rubio Escobar; from
the former Ministry of Industry: Alberto Cirilo
Pantón Grahan (former general director of Cubaníquel),
Ernesto Gómez Cumplido (former director de
Ferroníquel Minera S.A.) and Fidel Penín Oliva; as
well as Jorge Luis Melo Reyes, former director of
the Ministry of Tourism’s International Economic
Association (Cistur).
Also
charged with criminal offenses were Edmundo Javier
Cabrera Díaz, Antonio Gilí González, Boris Ernesto
Barber Velis, Armando Enrique Martínez Ganfo and
Elsa Fernández Proenza, who occupied different
positions within the Tokmakjian Group affiliate in
Cuba.
The
Attorney General required the foreign companies
Tokmakjian Group Inc; Tokmakjian Limited, C.Y.M.C.
and Tokmakjian International Inc. to appear before
the court as civilly responsible for the crimes.
During the oral trial, analyzed were statements from
the accused and extensive documentary evidence,
testimony and statements by experts from the
Comptroller General’s office, the National Tax
Administration (ONAT), and the Ministry of Foreign
Trade and Investment.
The
accused and the companies appearing as civilly
responsible third parties were afforded all rights
associated with their defense, and their lawyers
presented evidence and arguments which they
considered necessary.
In
his final statement the prosecuting attorney
requested sentences of 20 years in prison for Nelson
Ricardo Labrada Fernández; 15 years for Vahe Cy
Tokmakjian,; and 8 to 12 years for other defendants.
The
Attorney General’s office also demanded that the
accused pay more than 91 million dollars in damages
to various Cuban entities and the Tax
Administration, which could be compensated in part
with property and funds confiscated during the
investigation of Vahe Cy Tokmakjian and the
aforementioned companies.
The
court declared the trial concluded, pending
sentencing, and will announce its decision shortly.
|
