Cuba sentences former economy minister to life in prison for corruption, espionage
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HAVANA, Dec 8 - Cuba's Supreme Popular Tribunal on Monday sentenced former economy minister Alejandro Gil to life in prison following a closed-door trial that found him guilty of espionage in one of the country's highest-profile corruption cases in decades.
The court additionally found Gil guilty of a range of corruption charges in a second trial, including bribery, falsification of public documents, influence peddling and tax evasion.
Gil was sentenced to a concurrent 20-year sentence for those crimes.
The former economy minister, once a close confidant of President Miguel Diaz-Canel, spearheaded major monetary reforms in Cuba in 2021, which were largely seen as disastrous for the already troubled economy.
Sacked by Diaz-Canel in February 2024, Gil had not been seen or heard from until the trials, prompting widespread speculation about his whereabouts.
"Through corrupt and deceitful actions, (Gil) abused the powers granted by the responsibilities he assumed to obtain personal benefits, receiving money from foreign companies and bribing other public officials to legalize the acquisition of assets," the court's statement read.
"He failed to follow work procedures with the classified official information he handled, he stole it, damaged it, and finally made it available to the enemy."
The defendant has the right to appeal the sentences within 10 days.
Reuters was unable to contact Gil or his lawyer for comment.
The corruption case is the most high-profile to hit Cuba since 1989, when General Arnaldo Ochoa, a hero of Fidel Castro's 1959 Revolution, was tried and executed by firing squad for drug smuggling. REUTERS
