For the first time since it was made public in March that the former Minister of Economy of Cuba, Alejandro Gil, was being investigated for charges of alleged corruption, a high-ranking official of the country has spoken out on the issue in public.
The responsibility has fallen on Gladys María Bejerano Portela, Comptroller General of the Republic of Cuba, that is to say, the highest auditor of ministries and companies in the country.
Bejerano Portela, 77 years old, who served as Vice President of the Council of State between 2009 and 2019, did not hesitate to describe what happened as "betrayal" in an interview with the Efe agency. She pointed out that corruption does not happen "out of the blue," but is clearly a process of decomposition.
Gladys Mariela Bejerano, who has been leading the General Comptroller's Office for 15 years and has been auditing for 20 years, advocates for extracting "lessons" from this "sadly negative lesson."
Without directly mentioning the name of the ousted minister, Gladys María Bejerano admitted that "it hurts a lot."
"It hurts, it hurts a lot because one thinks as a companion – as a Cuban – that a person who has been at that level, who has been handling the situations, the sacrifices that have had to be made, that they do not have an attitude in correspondence, one really feels it as a betrayal, as something that is not right," he pointed out.
Next, the leader recovered from the blow and argued that beyond the surprise, "there is morality and there is courage to face" that setback.
"Every time there has been an event, it has been made public. I can assure you of that," said the member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), convinced that "sooner rather than later and to the extent of being objective", all the information will be provided."
He stressed that the Cuban government does not downplay corruption "whether it is from the bottom or the top", although he understands that this case has "more significance." He also clarified that the investigation into Gil Fernández did not originate from the General Comptroller's Office, although he did not specify the origin.
Corruption in Cuba
Bejerano Portela acknowledged that moments of scarcity and crisis favor illegal activities, and criticized those who take advantage of those moments, even "cruelly."
"People do not fall into corruption out of nowhere, it is a process. Corruption is decomposition, it is a process of loss of values, self-esteem, self-respect, and then that puts you on that path," the official added in statements to journalist Juan Palop for Efe.
Gladys Mariela Bejerano stated that some corrupt individuals are so "out of self-sufficiency, vanity, and arrogance," and emphasized that state or private employees who commit that type of crime will not be allowed, she failed to mention that neither will leaders be permitted to do so.
He indicated that 76% of the illegalities detected in Cuba occur at the "grassroots level" and that his "battle" is to reduce them to "zero" as a matter of the "principles" and "convictions" of the revolution.
Bejerano admitted that 23% of the country's control systems have deficiencies, mainly due to lack of technical or human capabilities. An example is that only 60% of the positions in the General Comptroller's Office are filled.
"The controls are not at the level that the Comptroller's Office desires and that the country, the Government, and the PCC need, acknowledged."
“We want honest, hardworking people to be able to have their business in order by fulfilling their obligations with the tax authorities and society,” he concluded.
Gaesa is not under its supervision.
Gladys Mariela Bejerano pointed out that the business conglomerate GAESA, owned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), is not under her supervision but justified that it is so.
The group, which includes telecommunications, almost the entire tourism sector, remittances, importing and distributing companies, banks, gas stations, real estate, and other businesses, represents the main contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
However, the official argued that GAESA has "superior discipline and organization" due to its decades of business experience, and that the Controller's Office focuses its efforts where "advancements" are needed.
Regarding the link between corruption and the increasing inequalities in the country, Bejerano tied it to the emergence of the private sector. He pointed out that some people have more because they work and achieve results, but he also believes that there are "illegalities."
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