Former Basic Industry officials are punished for corruption
From Granma Newspaper
The First Criminal Court in the People’s Provincial Tribunal in Holguín, after evaluating the abundant proof presented in the oral trial held recently in that city, handed down its sentence, punishing several former directors and former functionaries of the Ministry of Basic Industry and the Cubaniquel Company for committing crimes associated with corruption during the process of negotiation, contracting and execution of the project for the expansion of the Pedro Soto Alba plant, in Moa, for the extraction, refinement and commercialization of nickel and cobalt.
In view of the gravity of these deeds and their harmful consequences in one of the strategic activities for the economy of the country, [in view of] the behavior of the accused, characterized by the loss of ethic values and simulation, and the degree of participation of each one of them, the tribunal punished as authors of the crime of Acts Prejudicial to the Economic Activity or Contracting:
• ALFREDO RAFAEL ZAYAS LÓPEZ, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Basic Industry (2004-2007) and executive director of the Metals Enterprise, to 12 years of deprivation of freedom;
• RICARDO GONZÁLEZ SÁNCHEZ, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Basic Industry (2001-2004) (2007-2010), chairman of the Board of Directors of the Metals Enterprise, and chairman of the Committee for the Direction of the Project, to 10 years of deprivation of freedom;
• ANTONIO ORIZÓN DE LOS REYES BERMÚDEZ, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Basic Industry (1980-1999), member of the Committee for the Direction of the Project, to 8 years of deprivation of freedom; and
• CRISTÓBAL DE LA CARIDAD SAAVEDRA MONTERO, business director of Cubaniquel and consultant, adviser and expert in the project, to 6 years of deprivation of freedom.
Similarly punished as the authors of the crimes of Undue Use of Financial and Material Resources and Noncompliance with the Duty of Preserving the Goods of Economic Entities are:
• GILBERTO ALFONSO PARRA ROJAS, to 8 years of deprivation of freedom;
• ERNESTO COLUMBIÉ SILVERIO, to 7 years of deprivation of freedom;
• CARLOS GUSTAVO RODÓN FERREIRO, to 7 years of deprivation of freedom;
• BISCMARCK ORTIZ JIMÉNEZ, to 6 years of deprivation of freedom, all of whom, at the time the crimes were committed, were directors of the Project.
Also, ORLANDO GONZÁLEZ PÉREZ, deputy director of finances for the Project, who was sentenced to 7 years of deprivation of freedom.
In like manner, the tribunal found as authors of the crime of Undue Use of Financial and Material Resources:
• ALFREDO BARALLOBRE RODRÍGUEZ, deputy director of Accounting and Finances for the Moa Nickel Company S.A., sentencing him to 6 years of deprivation of freedom;
• ORLANDO CARMENATY OLMO, deputy director of Production for the Moa Nickel Company S.A., sentencing him to 5 years of deprivation of freedom, and
• XIOMARA JIMÉNEZ MORRIS, a specialist in Work Safety and Health, sentencing her to 4 years of deprivation of freedom followed by a like period of correctional labor without imprisonment.
The tribunal also applied to all the defendants the additional punishments of deprivation of public rights and the prohibition to practice the professions and posts that they held at the time of the crimes.
During the investigation and the oral trial, the defendants enjoyed the guarantees established by the laws governing criminal process, exercised their right to a defense, and were represented by attorneys of their choice.
To the sentence handed down, both the defendants and the prosecutors can file appeals to the Criminal Court of the People’s Supreme Tribunal.
