Cuba's corruption-fighting measures fall short: govt

Anti-corruption measures put in place by the Cuban government have not had the expected impact, state daily Granma reported Monday.

At a meeting Friday of the Council of Ministers, the island's governing body, officials discussed the results of steps that were taken to combat "administrative corruption," a priority of President Raul Castro's administration.

In presenting her report, Gladys Bejarano, the General Comptroller of the Republic, indicated the problem was still significant, especially in the trade and restaurant sectors and food industry, where half of all corruption incidents were detected.

In most cases, incidents involved embezzling public funds, the illegal sale of goods and illicit enrichment, with Havana, Holguin and Santiago de Cuba, the three most populous provinces, contributing the bulk of cases, said Bejarano.

The specific crimes ranged from falsifying documents to smuggle goods, payroll fraud, making payments for services not rendered, and receiving kickbacks or favors from suppliers.

Castro created the Comptroller General's Office in 2009 as part of a push to modernize the country's socialist economic model and promote a more efficient public sector. Enditem