Category: News & Media

On Thursday, June 18, the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere held a hearing titled “The Future of Property Rights in Cuba.” Two panels composed of former counsel members of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission and multiple certified claimants testified including Mauricio Tamargo, former Chairman of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission:

“There are reports about serious talks in the making between the United States and Cuba regarding the certified American claims. But we should remain guarded and concerned that this will not materialize or that negotiations will not reach a settlement of these claims. The Administration is priming the pump with a number of goodwill gestures and gifts to Cuba in order to get the conversation started, but historically, before these sort of favorable US actions are taken, there is, at least, an outline of an agreement for settling certified claims.”

Poblete Tamargo Attorney Jason Poblete was recently interviewed by McClatchy Washington Bureau about the status of various legislative proposals pending in Congress related to U.S.-Cuba sanctions:

One possible intermediate victory for the pro-trade lawmakers might be to ease restrictions on credit sales of products that are exempted from the embargo, even if the overall embargo remains in effect. Removing the cash-only payment for food and health care items would allow Cuba to buy American products on credit. Such a bill, with its smaller scope, might have a more realistic chance of passing. But that’s far from certain as well.

“It’s not the silver bullet – but for their side it would be a victory and a further erosion of the sanctions,” said Jason I. Poblete, a former Republican congressional staffer who’s an international regulatory lawyer with Poblete Tamargo LLP. As for the ongoing debate, Poblete said, “I’ve been watching this for 20-plus years, and it looks like more of the same – great for sound bites, great for politics, but it doesn’t move product.”

You can read the entire article here.

In a radio interview with Radio Martí news, Jason Poblete discuses a request for precautionary measures that was deposited on May 20, 2015 with the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights on behalf of the Apostolic Movement in Cuba and its leader, Reverend Yiorvis Bravo Denis.

The case centers around a long-term dispute with Cuban government officials to confiscate property owned by the Apostolic Movement in Camagüey, Cuba that is used as a home and church. It is part of a larger campaign by the Cuban government to restrict religious liberty and property rights on the island.

Reverend Bravo Denis and members of the Apostolic Movement in Cuba have been targeted, since at least 2007, by the Office of Religious Affairs (ORA) of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The former head of the Apostolic Movement was a former prisoner of conscience, but was granted political asylum in the United States a few years ago.

A European-based NGO, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has been working on this matter for many years, in addition to other cases of religious persecution throughout the island. You can learn more about their campaign here.

The Radio Martí story and interview is available here.

(Washington, DC) Congress this week will be talking up the possibility of expanding agricultural markets to Cuba – a shift encouraged by U.S. farmers and some members of Congress, who see a $2 billion market just 90 miles from U.S. shores. But if they’re going to be successful, one group needs convincing: The farmers who live in the state that’s just 90 miles away from Cuba … 

… Jason I. Poblete, a former Republican congressional staffer who’s an international regulatory lawyer with Poblete Tamargo LLP, supports the sanctions on Cuba but said he’d been critical of both parties and previous administrations for their Cuba policies. He predicted that there will be a lot of talk in coming months that Cuba is going to buy more agricultural products from the United States; Cuba might even increase purchasing for a while. “And then they’ll stop,” Poblete said. “What ultimately happens is that Cuba will buy if it sees that doing so will result in some political concessions.”

Read the entire story here.

“Of course, Cuba has its own claims. It says America owes it over $100 billion for economic harm caused by the embargo. However, history is on the side of U.S. corporations. Of the 48 instances of claims certified by the U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission against other countries since 1954, America has resolved all but two. Those two are against Russia and Cuba, and Russia’s has been partially resolved.

“At least one claims attorney is optimistic. No claims program has ever gone this long without being settled, notes Mauricio Tamargo, of the Miami law firm PobleteTamargo. The Cuban-born lawyer, who served eight years as chairman of the settlement commission, says this is the largest claims program in U.S. history. “At least it will be when it does get resolved,” he says. “And I’m confident it will be resolved.”

You can read the entire story at the Corporate Counsel website.