"If that money were to dry out they'd be in a serious pinch," said Roger Tissot,
a consultant with Gas Energy Latin America in Vernon, British Columbia. "It
doesn't matter if you're from China, Japan, Saudi Arabia or Wall Street, you
want your money back and a little bit of return."

What part of that does Hugo not understand? He couldn't screw up the economy more if he tried. Obviously he doesn't care about the economy in terms of prosperity for his people. He only cares about the economy as something he can control to consolidate his own power in the short run. In the long run he'll rely on guns to maintain power.

All this wondering about law, logic and what makes sense and what doesn't when it comes to mining Las Cristinas and what Hugo may do next. It all makes perfect sense when you look at it that way. It's all about HUGO and POWER.