The United States has imposed sanctions on nine Cuban entities and two government officials, accusing them of helping finance the Cuban government through the energy sector, sanctions evasion and the country’s overseas medical missions.
The U.S. State Department said Thursday the sanctions are intended to limit the Cuban government’s access to what it described as illicit sources of revenue.
Among those sanctioned are three energy-related companies — Centro de Investigaciones del Petróleo (CEINPET), Empresa de Energía S.A. (ENERSA) and Einarbo S.A. — which the United States says operate in Cuba’s energy sector.
The sanctions also target several entities that Washington alleges helped Cuba evade existing U.S. sanctions, including Terminal de Contenedores de Mariel S.A., Coral Marítima S.A., Ceiba Investments Limited and Orbit S.A.
According to the State Department, some of those companies were involved in restructuring ownership of the Port of Mariel after it was linked to Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), a Cuban military-controlled business conglomerate already under U.S. sanctions.
The United States also expanded sanctions against Cuba’s overseas medical mission program, which it says exploits Cuban healthcare workers through forced labor.
The new sanctions include Cuba’s state-run medical services exporter, Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos S.A. (CSMC), the Central Medical Cooperation Unit (UCCM), Public Health Minister José Angel Portal Miranda, and UCCM Director Gretza Sánchez Padrón.
The State Department alleges the Cuban government confiscates between 50% and 95% of wages paid to medical workers serving abroad, making the program one of the country’s largest sources of foreign currency.
Under the sanctions, any assets held by the designated individuals or entities in the United States will be frozen, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from doing business with them. The measures also expose foreign companies and financial institutions that conduct certain transactions with the sanctioned parties to potential U.S. penalties.
The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14404, signed in May, which authorizes penalties against individuals and entities accused of supporting repression in Cuba or threatening U.S. national security and foreign policy.
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