Cuba sentences former economy minister to life in prison for espionage

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HAVANA (AP) — Cuba's top court on Monday said a former economy minister was sentenced to life in prison for espionage, in the highest-profile case against an ex-official in recent years on the island.

The Supreme Popular Tribunal said in a statement that former Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Fernández also received a second sentence of 20 years in prison after being found guilty in a separate trial of other crimes including bribery, falsification of documents and tax evasion.

Gil was economy minister from 2018 to 2024, and he was one of the closest collaborators of President Miguel Díaz-Canel until he was removed from his post. In 2019, he was also appointed as deputy prime minister.

Weeks after his dismissal, the Cuban leader said that Gil had made “serious mistakes” and that corruption would not be tolerated, but without giving any specifics.

Cuba's highest court didn't give any details about what exactly the former minister did or who he was spying for.

The Associated Press was unable to contact the former minister or any lawyer who might be representing him.

Gil's case is the highest profile among officials who have fallen from grace since 2009, when then-Vice President Carlos Lage and Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque were dismissed. Their case involved leaks of sensitive information, although they were not sentenced.

Gil was the public face of major monetary and financial reforms in 2021 in Cuba, including trying to unify country's currency system. But Cuba, already affected by an economic crisis and shortage of some products, saw an inflationary spiral.

The highest court said that Gil “abused the powers granted to him” for personal gain, “receiving money from foreign firms and bribing other officials.”