Certified Claims Against Cuba Getting New Attention

Certified Claims Against Cuba Getting New Attention

By Kent Cooper

Posted at 12:14 p.m. on June 18



As the Obama administration moves to improve agriculture shipments,

telecom service and direct mail with Cuba, others are lobbying for an

equal improvement and consideration of longtime claims against Cuba.



These certified claims against Cuba have been languishing while other

interactions and financial activity has moved forward. Estimates of

money being transferred from those in the U.S. to those in Cuba are as

high as $2 billion a year. Informal trade and shipments of products from

the U.S. to Cuba may be even higher.



The law and public policy firm of Poblete Tamargo LLP has registered

yesterday to lobby for Hon. John L. Loeb Jr.on the topic of claims

against the government of Cuba. Loeb is a businessman, philanthropist

and former U.S. ambassador to Denmark.



There are $1.7 billion in original certified claims against Cuba, and

the amount jumps to $7 billion when interest is included. These

certified claims are mostly from businesses but there are some from

individuals. Even after a Bush administration transition study, there

has been little action on the certified claims.



Jason Poblete (formerly with Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., and the House

Administration Committee) and Mauricio Tamargo (formerly with Rep.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and also the Foreign Claims Settlement

Commission) are the lobbyists working on educating legislators on the issue.



Source: "Certified Claims Against Cuba Getting New Attention | Political

MoneyLine Blog" -

http://blogs.rollcall.com/moneyline/certified-claims-against-cuba-getting-new-attention/