Reports out of Santiago de Cuba say Cubans who attempt to withdraw cash from state-run bank ATMs are seeing their accounts deducted for the amount, but the machine never dispensed the cash. One victim went to the bank to complain and was informed he was just one of many that had money stolen from them by the communist regime and has yet to recover his funds.
A young Cuban reported that an ATM in Santiago de Cuba deducted money from his dad, but did not give it to him.
Through Facebook, the user Alejandro Rodríguez reported the incident that occurred at the ATM of the Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Cuba.
“A week ago, my dad went to the clinic’s ATM and tried to withdraw money. The ATM deducted 4,000 pesos but didn’t give him the money,” the young man began his report.
He added that when his father went to the bank, they told him that he was one of almost 30 people who had experienced the same issue, although they did not provide an immediate solution.
“They told him that he should go in three days,” the young man points out.
But three days later, the response was also not what was expected. “They told him to go back in two days because the communication was bad. And that we had to get in touch with Havana (typical of the centralist and regionalist politics that afflict this country),” the young man recounts, also making remarks about the problems that commonly plague Cubans and that the government is unable to resolve.
“Havana must solve a problem that occurs 1,000 km away,” he noted, questioning the logic of Cuban bureaucratism.
While malfunctioning ATMs can happen anywhere, in free countries where the rule of law is respected, these matters are resolved promptly. In Cuba, however, the communist Castro dictatorship has a long history of stealing cash and property from citizens and denying them any recourse while threatening prison if they persist. This is socialism in action.