Carnival Cruises, the first company to be prosecuted in the United States for confiscation in Cuba

The company of Carnival cruises became this Thursday the first defendant company in the US courts because of the use of properties confiscated in Cuba for the 1959 revolution.

Carnival Cruise Lines, based in Florida, was sued a few hours after the entry into force of Title III of the Cuban Freedom and Democratic Solidarity Act (Helms-Burton Act).

L & # 39; administration Trump He opened this window when he activated this part of the law on April 17, systematically suspended since 1996 by US leaders Avoid friction with your allies with economic interests on the island.

The plaintiffs, Javier García Bengochea and Mickael Behn, are asking for reparations for the usufruct of the harbors of Santiago de Cuba and Havana, for an amount that, according to lawyers, will reach tens of millions of dollars.

"We are the first to announce lawsuits under the Helms Burton law against the carnival"said Garcia Bengochea, who claims to be the rightful owner of the port of Santiago.

Carnival "This was the first cruise line company to benefit from our stolen goodsThey deserve the ignominious distinction of being the first to be prosecuted under this law, "he added.

Behn, who claims his rights to quays of Havana, did not hide his emotion when reading a statement.

"In the 1960s, the Castro brothers and their friends from The Communist Party stole my grandfather's property (…) We can finally get justice after 60 years, "he said.

The lawsuit against Carnival is one of the hundreds that could reach those who use the properties nationalized by the revolution of Fidel Castro and that they promise to congest the courts of South Florida.

"There will be hundreds of lawsuits," said Nick Gutierrez, legal counsel and president of the National Association of Cuban Landowners, one of the entities that fought hard for the full implementation of the Helms-Burton Act.

For the time being, Carnival He badured that he would maintain the operations. "We will continue to offer our normal calendar of cruises in Cuba for our visitors, "spokesman Roger Frizzell told a news agency.

Cuban-American José Ramón López Regueiro will present a report in the coming days Trials against the Cuban State and several airlines for the usufruct of Havana airportwhich was privately owned before the revolution.

The father of López Regueiro, José López Vilaboy, was the main shareholder of the airport, among other properties. But his badets were confiscated when the revolution deposed his close friend, the dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Criticisms that the law has triggered

Federica Mogherini, responsible for diplomacy of the European Union, said that this measure "will cause unnecessary friction " and accused Washington of violating its commercial commitments with its implementation.

Experts agree that Title III discourage future investments on the island.

Norma Goicochea, Cuba's ambbadador to the EU, said she was convinced that the bloc would protect its investors. "We are not afraid of a leak of investment", commented at AFP in Brussels.

Former President Barack Obama relaxed his position in Cuba in 2014, but Trump has reversed and strengthened the sanctions against what he calls the "troika of tyranny", formed by Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Now, potential investors who have an interest in the United States will think twice about whether the deal includes a confiscated property, explained Jason Poblete, an expert in international sanctions, AFP.

"The political risk cloud has always existed, but now this cloud may have crystallized a bit and it is no longer just a political risk, but potentially a legal risk also, "he concluded.