Cuba sentences ex-economy minister to life in prison for espionage

Top tribunal sentences Alejandro Gil successful the highest illustration lawsuit against an ex-official successful Cuba successful decades.

Cuba’s apical tribunal has sentenced erstwhile Economy Minister Alejandro Gil to beingness successful situation for espionage pursuing a closed-door trial, successful 1 of the country’s highest-profile cases successful decades.

In a connection connected Monday, the Supreme Popular Tribunal said Gil besides received a 2nd concurrent situation condemnation of 20 years connected corruption charges.

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These see bribery, falsification of documents and taxation evasion.

Gil, who served arsenic system curate from 2018 to 2024, was erstwhile a adjacent confidant of President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

The 61-year-old person was sacked successful February 2024 and had not been seen oregon heard from until the trials.

The tribunal did not springiness details astir what precisely the erstwhile curate did oregon who helium was spying for.

It said Gil had engaged successful “corrupt and deceitful actions” and that helium had abused the powers of his bureau “to get idiosyncratic benefits”. It besides said helium received wealth from overseas companies and bribed different nationalist officials to legalise the acquisition of assets.

“He failed to travel enactment procedures with the classified authoritative accusation helium handled, helium stole it, damaged it, and yet made it disposable to the enemy,” it added.

Gil has the close to entreaty the condemnation wrong 10 days.

The erstwhile minister’s lawsuit is the highest illustration among officials who person fallen from grace since 2009, erstwhile then-Vice President Carlos Lage and Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque were dismissed.

Their lawsuit progressive leaks of delicate information, though they were not sentenced.

Gil was the nationalist look of monetary and fiscal reforms successful 2021 successful Cuba, including trying to unify the country’s currency system. But Cuba, already affected by an economical situation and shortage of immoderate products, saw an inflationary spiral.