Canadian businessman freed from Cuban jail
Print Edition
Cuba has freed Canadian businessman Cy Tokmakjian after more than three years in jail, his company said, resolving a case that had strained Cuban-Canadian relations and alarmed foreign investors.
The 74-year-old founder of Ontario-based Tokmakjian Group was convicted of bribery and other charges and sentenced to 15 years in September in what the transport firm called a “show trial” and a “travesty of justice.”
Cuban prosecutors had outlined a pattern in which Tokmakjian wooed Cuban officials and their families with a series of gifts, helping the company do business estimated at US$80 million annually with Cuba until it was shuttered and its founder arrested in September 2011.
Tokmakjian “was welcomed home by his family, friends, and thousands of employees,” said the statement, which also thanked the Canadian government. A spokesman said the businessman was released early on Saturday.
The statement made no mention of two aides from the company, Claudio Vetere and Marco Puche, who were also convicted and sentenced to 12 and eight years. They had been under house arrest pending trial and while their convictions were being appealed.
A total of 14 Cubans including the former deputy sugar minister and former director of the state nickel company were also convicted and sentenced to terms ranging from six to 20 years.
Foreign firms and diplomats have raised concerns that the Tokmakjian case could scare off investors while Cuba is seeking capital. It also annoyed Canada, a major trading partner.
No immediate reason was given for the sudden release of Tokmakjian, whom Cuba had previously hailed as a model business partner over 20 years.
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