The theft of oil from an electrical transformer has become one of the main excuses used by the regime to justify the constant blackouts on the Island, so, to continue the game, they has promised severe sanctions for those caught committing this crime.
According to the official newspaper Sierra Maestra This is a crime that increases blackouts and affects thousands of citizens, so the strong hand of the government will be against it, has not been able to do anything since it was reported months ago.
According to the note, from August to November, the cities of Contramaestre, Palma Soriano and San Luis, in Santiago de Cuba, have recorded several robberies, the most frightening of which occurred at the Paquito Rosales Substation, where 300 liters of dielectric oil. nobody noticed.
This theft left thousands of people without power in the popular councils of Dos Caminos, Paquito Rosales and Estrella Roja.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor of the Department, these crimes could be classified as sabotage, so they could be punished with a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
“The behavior taken by these people, taking into account the form and the methods used to steal the oil from the transformers, could include the crimes of Theft or Theft by Force on Things, depending on the way the theft takes place and for “The case. People who buy or sell this oil could be seen as a crime of Reception,” said Elizabeth Govea Maceo, an official from the Palma Soriano prosecutor’s office.
For her part, the first secretary of the Party in Santiago de Cuba, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, assured on social networks that there would be no punishment for those responsible for these crimes.
“The MININT agencies are working to clarify these facts and present the alleged perpetrators to the court,” he said.
The officer’s promises come in a context where thefts have become very common, which is why there are many doubts about the effectiveness of the sanctions.
It is important to remember that the promised sanctions will not solve the real problem that is hurting the Island: an energy system that has collapsed and is not receiving enough maintenance to continue. making power, which will add to the fuel shortage that has been causing for months. .
In that sense, an increase in penalties for oil thieves is unlikely to have a visible impact on the situation, which seems to have no short-term solution.
