The review of 2,165 economic actors in Ciego de Ávila revealed a significant level of non-compliance with regulations, with violations found in 1,337 state and private establishments across all municipalities in the province.
The operation lasted for a month and concluded on September 15, revealed an article from the official newspaper Invasor reproduced this Saturday by the provincial broadcaster Radio Surco.
According to the report, the inspection teams found irregularities related to speculative and abusive prices, as well as expired food items whose sale could compromise the health of consumers.
Establishments were also found that had not implemented digital payment gateways, outdated or nonexistent daily sales records, and prices that were not visible to the public.
This was joined by cases of individuals selling products without having legal authorization.
The measures adopted included 1,141 fines totaling over six million pesos, 51 forced sales, and the temporary closure of 70 establishments. The authorities also conducted a seizure and permanently removed six projects.
Rafael de Jesús García Fernández, director of the Provincial Inspection Directorate, warned that the penalties are not enough and called for new inspections to verify whether the offenders have corrected the identified irregularities. Follow-up is the responsibility of the municipal mayors and the administrative councils.
The Provincial Inspection Directorate stated that the outcome of the operation should not be limited to the inspection period, but rather become a permanent control over prices, tax compliance, and the use of payment gateways.
The operation in Ciego de Ávila is part of a national enforcement offensive that the government has intensified in recent months, following the failure of its mandatory banking policy.
In Matanzas, a similar operation between August and September closed 46 establishments and imposed over 1,000 fines totaling nearly seven million pesos.
In Sancti Spíritus, inspections resulted in over 6.3 million pesos returning to the banking system, although the authorities themselves described the results as "modest."
In Guantánamo, the government fined several small and medium-sized enterprises and closed the Fénix business for repeatedly refusing to accept digital payments.
Three years after the Central Bank mandated mandatory banking via Resolution 111/2023, less than four percent of transactions in Cuba are digital, despite the imposition of thousands of fines and the closure of establishments across the country.
The National Assembly approved Agreement X-171 in July, which mandates the government and the Central Bank to adopt new corrective measures regarding banking, with a results assessment scheduled for December.
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