Ana de Armas and Manuel Anido share a night in Madrid with regime lawyers who lost a trial in London

What once seemed to be merely a romantic farce has now taken on a sinister dimension where power, money, fame, and legal battles intertwine under the chandeliers of the luxurious Italian restaurant Numa Pompilio, located in the exclusive Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid.

Ana de Armas, Lourdes Dávalos y Rodolfo Dávalos © Instagram / Ana de Armas - Cinco Días
Ana de Armas, Lourdes Dávalos, and Rodolfo DávalosPhoto © Instagram / Ana de Armas - Cinco Días

The sugary story of Ana de Armas with Miguel Díaz-Canel's stepson and "advisor," Manuel Anido Cuesta, is wrapped in layers that provide all the necessary ingredients for it to become a Hollywood blockbuster.

The passion of the couple, showcased in Spain's classic "heart" magazine, is now complemented by unexpected elements of suspense with the appearance of the lawyer duo featuring Rodolfo Dávalos Fernández and his daughter Lourdes Dávalos León in the photos published by Hola.

What initially seemed like a mere romantic absurdity now takes on a sinister dimension, where power, money, fame, and legal battles intertwine under the chandeliers of the luxurious Italian restaurant Numa Pompilio, located in the exclusive Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid.

To add to the dramatic tension, it turns out that the Dávalos were the lawyers appointed to represent the Cuban state in the trial held this Tuesday at the Court of Appeal in London, which resulted in an unequivocal defeat.

Dávalos Fernández and his daughter Dávalos León presented the appeal filed by the National Bank of Cuba (BNC) against the investment fund CRF, which the London court ultimately rejected, recognizing CRF as a legitimate creditor of a sovereign debt amounting to approximately 72 million euros, issued in the name of the banking entity of the Cuban regime.

Rodolfo Dávalos, in his capacity as president of the Cuban Court of International Commercial Arbitration, affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Cuba, "monopolizes" the entire landscape of national and international arbitration processes related to Cuba, according to statements collected by CiberCuba in January 2023.

His daughter Lourdes was on the payroll of the Spanish law firm Uría y Menéndez and resides in Madrid, where she is involved in other private ventures and showcases her lavish lifestyle like a social media influencer.

With the trial lost and the Cuban state ordered to pay 72 million euros, the Dávalos sat down the night before at the Numa Pompilio to spend a mysterious evening with an even more enigmatic couple. In the chilling scene, only the soundtrack of Nino Rota was missing.

Facebook Screenshot / Breaking Chains

Will Anido Cuesta and Dávalos León from the Faculty of Law at the University of Havana know each other? What could their conversation topic have been during the evening? Judging by the photos published by Hola, Ana de Armas appeared deep in thought and seemed to be paying attention to the unsuccessful barristers.

Hired by Uría Menéndez in 2011, Dávalos León and his father were booed by activists who protested in January 2023 outside the High Court of England and Wales.

They were accompanied on that occasion by the regime's spokesperson and television presenter, Humberto López, who also became the target of boos and mocking from the activists. He reported from London on the developments of the events, asserting that the arguments of the dictatorship would be devastating and unassailable.

"I have nothing to discuss with the vulture fund; it is not my creditor and never has been," López summarized the Dávalos' argument, emphasizing that such a line of defense would ultimately be victorious.

López made a mistake and stayed in Havana without trying the squid pasta with drunken octopus, or the tagliatelle with lobster, or any of the other dishes at Numa Pompilio, which range in price from 60 to 90 euros per person. He also didn't sample any of the 150 Italian wines on the menu.

That golden brooch can only be enjoyed by the losers at the top, along with the "Marilyn Monroe" of La Colmenita and her playboy "advisor" from the creator of the "creative resistance."

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Iván León

Bachelor's degree in journalism. Master's in Diplomacy and International Relations from the Diplomatic School of Madrid. Master's in International Relations and European Integration from UAB.