New York, Apr. 9 (ANI): Star couple Jay-Z and Beyonce's visit to Havana last week on a cultural trip was fully licensed by the United States Treasury Department, a source has revealed.
The pair apparently traveled legally to the Communist-ruled island legally and did not violate the half-century-old US embargo against the Communist-ruled island, reports the New York Daily News.
The couple came under scrutiny after they landed for a holiday in Havana, which happens to be subject to a trade embargo imposed by the US government 53 years ago. The embargo technically prohibits all US tourism to the island.
Beyonce and Jay-Z selected had chosen the destination for a short break to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.
Two Republican representatives for south Florida, whose constituents include many enduringly embittered Cuban exiles, have raised the issue of the Carters' visit with the Obama administration, denouncing it as having provided sustenance to the "murderous" Castro regime, the Guardian reports.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart sent a joint letter to the Treasury Department official responsible for policing the embargo to demand to be told who approved the Carters' travel and for what purpose.
The letter points out that "tourist activities" are covered by the ban and complains that the trip was used by the Castro regime for propaganda purposes.
In the recent years, Obama has revised the terms of the trade embargo, making it possible for Americans to visit the island, although trips are still restricted to academic, religious or cultural exchanges.
The first restrictions were imposed in October 1960 in retaliation to the decision of the revolutionary Cuban government to nationalize the property of American citizens and companies.
Now in its 53rd year, the law is frequently flouted, with Americans travelling to the island via third-party countries such as Canada or Mexico. (ANI)
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