Economy & Business - November 2006

Eleven people, including several employed by Corporación Cimex, a government holding company, and an official from the foreign trade ministry, were sentenced to between four and 20 years in jail for corruption on 9 November. Raúl Castro who has taken over from his brother, Fidel, as head of the government is coming down hard on corruption. Such an anti-corruption drive may benefit his supporters in the military who run Gaviota, a company with business interests across the whole economy.