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Wednesday, Feb. 14

The money comes from long-distance telephone revenue paid by AT&T and other telephone companies to the Cuban regime. It has been held in Chase Manhattan Bank in New York since the early 1960s when the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba was established.

The bank transfer Friday was to include $58 million in compensatory damages awarded in federal court in 1997 and $35 million in court-imposed sanctions against the government of dictator Fidel Castro.

"God willing, we will finally get the money for these families," said Aaron Podhurst, one of the lawyers for the families. "There were many people who didn't believe that justice would be done. It doesn't make up for the loss of lives, but the system does work."

The transfer was possible because Congress in October passed a bill making it easier for victims of terrorism or kidnappings to recover money from Cuba, Iran and other rogue states.

Then-President Bill Clinton had opposed the award by U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King because, he said, he wanted to use the money as a bargaining chip in negotiations Cuba. But the day before he left office last month, he signed an order freeing the money.

Under King's order, the transfer will not include an additional $137.7 million awarded as punitive damages.

The families plan to give $15 million to foundations for scholarships for Cuban rafters, human rights causes and other charities.

Four fliers in two light planes were shot down Feb. 24, 1996, as they searched the Straits of Florida for refugees trying to make it to Florida on rafts. Victims Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre and Mario de la Pena were U.S. citizens, and their survivors were allowed to sue Cuba.

The fourth airman, Pablo Morales, had not been naturalized and was ineligible to join the suit. The families of the other three agreed to pay his family $3 million. His mother, Eva Barbas, has said the money should go to charities instead.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

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