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Cuban actor Luis Alberto García reacted with irony and anger to the official announcement that former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Economy Alejandro Gil Fernández will be tried for a range of crimes that seem straight out of a high-level corruption novel.
“Otzea… was BINISTRO,” wrote sarcastically García on his Facebook profile, highlighting with irony the significance of Gil's position, once an omnipresent figure in the Round Tables and special appearances of the regime.
According to the Attorney General's Office of the Republic, Gil Fernández will be prosecuted for a lengthy list of crimes including: espionage, embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, influence peddling, forgery of public documents, violation of regulations regarding classified documents, theft and damage of items in official custody, and other "acts detrimental to economic activity or contracting."
To this enumeration, Luis Alberto García added another accusation: “The fundamental one is missing: LYING TO US. LYING TO US. LYING TO US.”
Darts against the system
The actor was not satisfied with the specific scandal and directed his criticisms towards the political apparatus that elevated and maintained Gil in power:
“Who put him in those positions?
At which PCC Cadre School did they graduate him?”
And he added sarcastically:
"The seriousness and composure with which 'the comrade' threw in our faces, all of us Cubans [...] that he, his boss, and all the acolytes of the state clan outsmarted William Vivanco in being 'totally prepared.'”
Regarding the numerous television appearances in which Gil defended the government's economic policies, García posed another devastating question:
"Is the famous oath that public officials sign on live television with great fanfare, a military band, and a choir effective?"
"One would have to be very naïve..."
With a direct play on words, the actor mocked the idea that Gil Fernández acted alone: "That man would have to be 'very foolish' to have tried to position himself as the only rotten potato in that sack."
The prominent Cuban actor questioned the lack of institutional and media oversight
"Has the great national investigative journalism ever picked up on anything? Has any deputy ever questioned the arguments of the Finance Czar?"
A state that smells rotten
García concluded her critique with a Shakespearean allusion:
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” he quoted from Hamlet, then letting the weight of his irony fall upon the official narrative:
“Thank goodness this is not a failed state!”, he pointed out ironically.
"Thank goodness it’s the opinion matrices shaped in the networks by the enemy that are trying to discredit him!” he concluded.
The sharp reflection by Luis Alberto García has gone viral in just a few hours and, as of the time of this note, has received over 700 comments, many of which celebrate the artist's insight.
Context of the Gil Fernández case
This Friday, the Cuban Prosecutor's Office formally charged Alejandro Gil Fernández following an investigation that began months earlier due to "serious errors."
Gil had been removed from office in February, and in March, he resigned from the Communist Party and his position as a deputy.
The judicial process is taking place at a time when the Cuban economy is experiencing one of its worst periods in decades, characterized by scarcity, blackouts, and the collapse of basic services.
Ironically, it was Gil himself who announced in Parliament in December 2023 that the food production goals would not be met and acknowledged the failure of the "Tarea Ordenamiento."
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