The ObserverCuba This article is more than 13 years old

Fidel Castro's Potbelly amigo Max Marambio finds brother Raul Castro is not so friendly

This article is more than 13 years oldMax Marambio had it all from the Cuba leader Fidel Castro. Now Raul Castro wants him on corruption charges

A globe-trotting guerrilla befriends a dictator, goes into business and makes a fortune but ends up accused of corruption and betrayal. How the story ends remains unclear, but Max Marambio's rise and apparent fall could already fill several novels – and shed light on Castro rule in Cuba.

It begins in 1973. Marambio, pictured, a Chilean leftist and bodyguard for president Salvador Allende, flees to Havana after Augusto Pinochet overthrows his boss. Fidel Castro promotes the exile through the ranks of Cuba's special force guerrillas. Over time, Marambio swaps a Kalashnikov for a pen and sets up a company, Rio Zaza, in partnership with Cuba's communist authorities. The food and beverage enterprise thrives and makes the Chilean rich. His waistline expands along with his bank balance, earning the nickname Potbelly.

After Pinochet leaves power, Marambio returns to Chile with a lavish lifestyle including a helicopter and ranch outside his home town of Santiago. He maintains a close friendship with Fidel. But last week it all went wrong. After months of investigation into Rio Zaza, Cuban authorities accused Marambio of bribery, fraud, embezzlement and falsifying documents. They demanded he appear before investigators by 29 July or face an international arrest warrant. Through his lawyer, Marambio protested innocence and said he would fly to Havana.

In a regime as hermetic as Havana's, analysts were left guessing. Corruption rumours swirl round many companies in Cuba so why pick on Marambio's? And why now?

One theory is that since succeeding his brother, Raúl Castro has emboldened auditors to go after big fish, regardless of links to the government. Other think Marambio was targeted because Rio Zaza demanded access to bank accounts that the cash-strapped government froze, along with that of other foreign businesses, in 2008. Punishing Marambio would deter others from seeking redress.

Meanwhile, in April his local manager, fellow Chilean Roberto Baudrand, was found dead in his apartment. Suicide, said some. Stress caused by seven-hour interrogations, said others.

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