Rubio unveils new Cuba sanctions

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a fresh batch of sanctions against one person and two Cuban entities on Thursday, solidifying a recent executive order that sought to exert greater pressure on the island’s government.

The new sanctions target Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), an umbrella enterprise controlled by the Cuban military that Rubio described as the “heart of Cuba’s kleptocratic communist system.”

The enterprise controls an estimated at least 40 percent of the Cuban economy and likely holds as much as $20 billion in illicit assets, according to the State Department. The U.S. government also sanctioned GAESA leader Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera.

“While the Cuban people suffer from hunger, disease and chronic under-investment in critical infrastructure such as its power grid, much of the proceeds of GAESA’s activities are funneled away to hidden overseas bank accounts,” Rubio said in a statement.

Moa Nickel SA (MNSA), which operates in Cuba’s metals and mining sector, was also included in the sanctions, with the State Department accusing the entity of exploiting the island’s........

© The Hill