Beyonce, Jay-Z's Cuba trip was legal

US: Pop diva Beyonce and hip-hop star Jay-Z's controversial trip to Cuba was part of a cultural exchange and did not violate the economic embargo imposed on the island by the United States, a senior US Treasury official said Tuesday.

Alastair Fitzpayne, the Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, said in a letter to Republican lawmakers who had questioned the trip that the couple's high-profile visit had not broken any laws.

"It is our understanding that the travelers in question traveled to Cuba pursuant to an educational exchange trip organized by a group authorized by OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) to sponsor and organize programs to promote people-to people contact in Cuba," Fitzpayne said in the letter seen by AFP.

AFP