The Cuban government announced on Monday the dismissal of Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella, who had been serving as the first deputy minister of Cuba since 2021.
The brief official statement—published in Granma and also announced on television—only mentioned "errors in the performance of duties," without providing further details about the reasons behind the dismissal of the high-ranking Cuban official.
The information indicated that "the Council of State, upon the proposal of the President of the Republic and after approval by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba," decided to carry out three "personnel changes."
In addition to the dismissal of Jorge Luis Perdomo, the appointment of Eduardo Martínez Díaz, 56, as first deputy prime minister was announced. Since February, he had been serving as the head of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA).
The new minister of CITMA will be Armando Rodríguez Batista, 47 years old, who has been the deputy minister of the entity until now.
The statement elaborated on Rodríguez Batista, noting that “he is a radiochemical engineer and holds a PhD in Science. He has been with this organization for over 20 years, having served as a specialist in Science and Technology, director of Science, Technology, and Innovation, and now in his current role. Additionally, he is a member of the technical team of the National Innovation Council.”
The fall of Perdomo Di-Lella
Although he has never been particularly media-savvy, at 52 years old, Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella was one of the youngest faces in the Cuban government and had accumulated many years of experience at the highest executive level.
Jorge Luis Perdomo, an engineer in Electronics and Telecommunications, served as Minister of Communications from July 2018 to April 2021, when he was promoted to the position of Deputy Prime Minister.
In addition, he was a deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) representing the city of Camagüey and a member of the Central Committee of the PCC.
The Efe agency notes that "the term 'errors in the performance of their duties' has been used on other occasions by the Cuban authorities to refer to potential abuses of power or corruption crimes, but it is an ambiguous term with no legal significance."
The dismissal of Perdomo Di-Lella is the latest in a series of over half a dozen removals this year among high-ranking officials in the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba. The most notable of these was the ousting of the Minister of Economy and Planning, Alejandro Gil, in February, who was accused of corruption a month later.
When the judicial investigation against Gil was announced, the most high-profile case in years in Cuba, the statement from the Presidency spoke of "serious errors" and asserted that neither the PCC nor the Government would "ever allow the proliferation of corruption, simulation, and insensitivity."
The announced removals this year have been described as "errors" regarding Gil and two provincial governors.
As of the time this note was published, neither Miguel Díaz-Canel nor Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz has mentioned the new reshuffle within the regime on their social media, which comes at an extremely delicate moment for the country.
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