THE JAMAICA-CUBA Friendship Association is outraged at the decision of the Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) to discontinue maintaining accounts for the Cuban Embassy in United States currency.
And the association wants the Bank to withdraw this decision which denies the Cuban Diplomatic Mission in Jamaica the right to operate US dollar accounts.
According to the Cuban Embassy, Scotia Bank has advised that, in complying with the 'U.S. Patriot Act', accounts held on the Cuban embassy's behalf will be maintained in local currency.
The letter said that the Bank will no longer be able to facilitate transactions that include cross border transfers or international drafts because its parent company in Canada operates in several jurisdictions, and have to comply with international laws.
But the Jamaica-Cuba Friendship Association said, BNS' decision is not in keeping with either international or Jamaican laws.
"As far as we know, there is no Jamaican law barring any embassy from operating a US dollar account in Jamaica, or engaging in legitimate transactions that include cross-border transfers or international drafts," a spokesperson for the Association said.
"The Cuban Embassy is a duly recognised and accredited member of the diplomatic community in Jamaica, and could not by any stretch of the imagination, be considered a terrorist organisation," the spokesperson added.
Following the September 11 attacks the United States Congress established the Patriot Act.
