Havana , Cuba ( CNN ) -- A Cuban court has convicted 14 government officials and businessmen and a Chilean entrepreneur for corruption and bribery involving the state-owned airline and a tourism agency . Marcel Marambio , a Chilean businessman with close ties to the Communist government , was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for bribery , fraud and falsification of documents , according to a notice published in state media on Tuesday . Marambio was president of Sol Y Son , a tourism agency jointly owned by the Cuban state and Chilean investors . His brother Max Marambio , a long-time friend of Fidel Castro , was sentenced in absentia in a separate corruption trial earlier this year . The 14 Cubans , all employed by Cubana de Aviacion airline or Sol Y Son , were sentenced to between three and 10 years of prison . State media said they were convicted because they received `` cash bribes and personal perks '' but did not provide details about what they provided in exchange . Courts have launched a number of corruption cases since President Raul Castro assumed the presidency of Cuba in 2008 .
A Chilean businessman had close ties to the government . The U.S. Embassy in Santiago said it was aware of reports that a man named Ramon Fonseca may have been involved with the case. The 14 Cubans were convicted because they received `` cash bribes and personal perks ''