The sister of former Cuban Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Fernández, María Victoria Gil, stated in remarks to CiberCuba that she fears for the life of the former official, following the news of his life sentence and an additional 20 years in prison for espionage, corruption, and bribery.
"I doubt everything, Tania. I doubt everything, and I think my brother knows too much, and he needs to be silenced somehow," he told journalist Tania Costa.
Her voice left a phrase that sums up the fear the family feels: "If he dies in prison from a heart attack or commits suicide, they have killed him. Because he is a mouth that needs to be silenced."
The statements come a day after the People's Supreme Court delivered the harshest sentence imposed on a former minister in recent decades. Gil, one of the prominent figures in Miguel Díaz-Canel's cabinet, fell from grace after the collapse of the misnamed "Tarea Ordenamiento." His case, both high-profile and secretive, evokes for many the exemplary trials of the Soviet era.
Maria Victoria states that the cruelty is evident, not only in the life sentence but also in the confiscation of assets imposed on her brother. "They are going to take away the house where his family lives, a house that was legally obtained through a state exchange. They will leave my niece, with a three-year-old child, literally on the street," she denounced. The original family home, she explains, has already been handed over to third parties, which means the family will be left defenseless.
"Then they talk about capitalism, but how can they not be ashamed, when they are the first to break all the rules, to scam, to lie, to deceive," he added.
Previously, in statements to Martí Noticias, María Victoria confirmed that the family will file an appeal and that, if the ruling is upheld, they will turn to international bodies.
Her son, a European lawyer, will accompany the process. “This has not said the last word yet. We will pursue all internal avenues and then we will go to the International Court,” she stated.
He also questioned the lack of public evidence regarding the alleged espionage. “The information provided is so brief that anyone could be accused. We need to see the complete judgment: dates, aliases, concrete facts. Right now, they could say that I am a spy, and that’s it.”
The former host stated that she has not been able to contact Gil's daughter and fears that the family on the island is being pressured. She also acknowledges the emotional impact of knowing he is confined in the Guanajay prison. "Even if he is the biggest criminal in the world, he is my brother. Just imagining him in Guanajay breaks my heart."
While the government tries to convey a message of "zero tolerance" towards corruption, the family insists that Alejandro Gil is the scapegoat for a regime undergoing its worst crisis in decades.
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