Jump directly to the content
RUM BEGGARS

Cuba has offered to wipe its £222m debt to the Czech Republic – using its famous RUM

The country offered liquid assets to pay off the Cold War-era debt

CUBA is Havana laugh with its intoxicating idea to repay a multimillion pound debt to the Czech Republic - using bottles of rum.

The Czech finance ministry said Havana raised the possibility of using the tipple to wipe its £222 million debt.

 Cuba offered to pay of its debt using its famous rum
3
Cuba offered to pay of its debt using its famous rumCredit: Getty Images

If authorities accept the unusual offer, they would have enough Cuban rum for more than a century.

But Prague say they would prefer to get at least some of the money back in cash.

Lenka Dupakova the Czech deputy finance minister, said the idea was an "interesting option", and revealed that the offer even stretched to identifying which types would be sent.

 Czech authorities said they prefer the repayment partly in cash rather than just in rum
3
Czech authorities said they prefer the repayment partly in cash rather than just in rumCredit: Getty Images

She added: "These are relatively unknown brands which might be good, but we would have to launch them into the market."

Cuba even has a back up plan - they also offered repayment in the form of pharmaceuticals.

But the country's drugs lack EU certification, so rum - only worth £1.6 million in imports to the Czech Republic every year - could be the best option.

Cuba didn't offer to use its other famous export - cigars - to clear the multimillion pound bill.

The debt dates back to the Cold War era - when the country and what was Czechoslovakia at the time were part of the communist bloc.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Cuba took out development loans from non-American banks but defaulted in 1986.

 Cuba didn't offer up cigars as another repayment option
3
Cuba didn't offer up cigars as another repayment optionCredit: AP:Associated Press

It isn't the first time a country has offered up a famous exports to pay off debts. North Korea offered to wipe its £8 million loan with products made with ginseng.

And in 1993, Russia offered New Zealand a nuclear submarine and two MiG fighters to settle a bill for dairy products including Anchor Butter.


We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368