In a meeting with workers of the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR) Miguel Díaz-Canel urged prosecutors to have “zero tolerance” for the acts of corruption that exist at different levels in the country.
The Cuban president said that such acts “lacerate” and “erode the moral basis of society”, according to the Presidency’s website on Sunday.
En la @FGR_Cuba, como en todos nuestros órganos judiciales, se trabaja con seriedad, con responsabilidad, y todos los días se empeñan en hacer las cosas mejor. Hay mucha juventud en sus filas y eso nos motiva. Ayer estuvimos en su balance anual de trabajo.https://t.co/8J8uTkpySL pic.twitter.com/jrAQFwrTEF
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) February 18, 2024
During a meeting to assess the work of the Attorney General’s Office in 2023, as well as to evaluate its projections for this year, the President pointed out that corruption “delays social development, growth, and economic development”, in addition to generating distrust in the population.
“Corruption can be so devastating that it can lead a country to poverty; to moral poverty and material poverty. Corruption can destroy a country,” said Díaz-Canel on Saturday afternoon.
The statement comes days after the official media reported the theft of 133 tons of chicken from a state-owned company in Havana.
As a result of this event, 30 people were arrested and could face sanctions of up to 20 years in prison, according to Efe news agency.
The event generated confusion among the population, a strong judicial response, and a call by the Government and the Communist Party (PCC) to use a “hard hand” against crime.
Mass theft of frozen chicken unleashes stupor and calls for a “firm hand” in Cuba
According to the official version, the criminals used state-owned company personnel to gain access to the cold storage facilities, from where they stole some 1,660 boxes of chicken, equivalent to the amount sold by the state at subsidized prices for a month in a “medium-sized province” on the island, according to Efe.