CUBA
U.S. firm pays fine for Cuba business
BY WILFREDO CANCIO ISLA
El Nuevo Herald
The Texas subsidiary of a Scottish oil company that had business in Cuba
has paid a fine of $164,006 for violating the U.S. embargo on the
island, the U.S. Treasury department has announced.
A Treasury announcement said PSL Energy Services (PSLES), an
international firm that provides technology and services for the oil
industry, paid the fine after acknowledging that it had violated U.S.
restrictions on commerce with the island between April and September of
2004.
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said PSLES
voluntarily revealed that it had violated the U.S. embargo ``by engaging
in the unlicensed exportation and re-exportation of oil field servicing
equipment and related skilled services to Cuba.''
Treasury spokeswoman Molly Millerwise, who handles OFAC issues, declined
to comment further on the case.
The PSLES branch in Houston referred El Nuevo Herald's questions to the
firm's headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland, where Doug Duguid, director
of operations, said the company would not comment.
PSLES, founded in 2003, was bought by the U.S.-based multinational
Halliburton last month. The Treasury's statement was dated May 4 but did
not say whether the $164,006 fine was imposed before or after the
Halliburton purchase.
The fine against PSLE was the highest of the six imposed by Treasury for
Cuba violations during the current government fiscal year, which began
Oct. 1.
The Cuba fines so far total $229,782, compared with $265,270 in all of
fiscal 2006 and $529,000 in fiscal 2005.
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