By José Manuel Lapeira Casas and Henry Omar Pérez
The nature of the covert actions by the United States administration to operate and influence the Cuban economy from abroad, along with details of the ongoing investigation, were revealed today on the television program “Razones de Cuba” (Reasons for Cuba).
In the program, broadcast after the evening news, journalist and presenter Humberto López outlined some aspects of this network, specifically the recently uncovered illegal currency trafficking operation. This network operated within the country to artificially manipulate the exchange rate of foreign currencies and provoke inflation, all through the digital platform “El Toque” and its informal market exchange rate.
In this regard, Colonel Francisco Estrada Portales, head of the Office of Investigation of Crimes Against State Security at the Ministry of the Interior (Minint), shared some details of the investigation’s findings to date. The investigation is currently monitoring more than 18 executives of the platform, residing in various countries, and a large group of internal collaborators.
Regarding José Jasán Nieves Cárdenas, director of El Toque and also linked to the subversive platform Periodismo de Barrio, he noted that Nieves Cárdenas himself recently admitted to receiving funding from a foreign power through companies and foundations in his name, and that his efforts are aimed at bringing about regime change on the island.
He emphasized that this funding comes from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), sources that reinforce his status as an employee of a foreign government engaged in actions classified as economic terrorism under the law.
Raúl Antonio Capote, a journalist, professor, and former agent of the Cuban State Security, commented that these actions do not qualify as journalism, under which they have been disguised, nor are they independent; rather, they constitute an instrument of subversion serving U.S. interests in Cuba.
At the close of the segment, Humberto López stated that although the economic situation is not simply a matter of the exchange rate—and it is worth emphasizing this because no official media outlet suggests otherwise—some of those who react against any criticism of El Toque insist on presenting these criticisms as if the website were being blamed for all the country’s problems.
“That interpretation is false; it only serves to divert the conversation. Denouncing information manipulation does not imply denying the deep-seated and structural causes of the crisis, but rather pointing out a factor that exacerbates it. And it should not be forgotten that in the case of Cuba, the economic situation is heavily impacted by the economic blockade, which puts pressure on the country on all fronts,” he concluded.
The complaint responds to the statement made by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla before the United Nations General Assembly on October 29, where he affirmed that Cuba had collected evidence of maneuvers encouraged by the United States to artificially increase inflation on the island, reduce the population’s purchasing power, and provoke a social explosion to accelerate its regime change objectives.
IMAGE CREDIT: Francisco Estrada Portales and Raúl Antonio Capote on the set during the television broadcast on Thursday evening. Photo: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
