Economic Crimes Earn Harsh Penalties in Cuba
Cuba’s Ministry of Fiscal Affairs on Monday demanded eight-year prison terms for two drivers accused of stealing thousands of bars of soap, signaling that the government is taking a harder line on economic crimes.
In a notice published Saturday in Granma, the Communist Party newspaper, the government said it will impose tougher penalties for economic crimes and increase security at all levels “with the aim of leaving no openings for impunity, particularly in this special period the country is going through.”
Basic goods, such as soap, gasoline and foodstuffs, are either strictly rationed or unavailable to Cuban consumers.
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