British Executive Arrested in Havana
HAVANA TIMES, April 25 — The chief operating officer of the Coral Capital Group Ltd., Stephen Purvis, was arrested in Havana as part of an investigation of bribery activities directed at governments officials by their foreign partners, the Miami-based Marti News agency reported on Tuesday.
“I am able to confirm that a British citizen was arrested and is under investigation by the Cuban authorities,” said Rhys Patrick, a British embassy official on the island. He added, “We’re providing all of the consular support that is usual in these cases.”
Purvis is the second executive of the British investment company in Cuba to be arrested as part of a campaign launched last year against corruption. His apprehension was preceded by that of Amado Fakhre, the company’s CEO, who was arrested in October 2011.
Specific allegations against the company remain unknown while this latest incident has not been covered by the state-run media on the island.
As long as “openness” in Cuban society is the exception rather than the rule, the prevalence of corruption will continue. So much of Cuban life is conducted in the shadows. In public, Cubans even whisper when they say “Fidel” or “Raul” as if to do so openly is in and of itself a crime. Since nearly every Cuban survives by stealing from the State or buying products stolen from the State, the black market is the most vibrant economic transit in Cuba. The tiny percentage of Cubans who do not live in the shadows are only able to do so because of hard currency remittances received from abroad or extralegal business dealings. In Cuba, corruption is a way of life.