A source close to the family of the former Cuban Minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil Fernández, confirmed to CiberCuba that authorities prevented his daughter, Laura María Gil, from entering the trial being held against him in Havana, while his son, Alejandro Arnaldo Gil González, was permitted to be present.
“They left out the son Alejandro Arnaldo Gil González and excluded the daughter Laura María Gil. Unacceptable,” said the source, who requested to remain anonymous for security reasons.
The judicial process, which began on Tuesday in the Court of Crimes Against State Security, in the Havana municipality of Marianao, is taking place under heavy military deployment and strict secrecy, according to reports from independent media.
The Cuban regime justifies holding the trial behind closed doors for “national security reasons.”
Laura María, who recently described the accusations against her father as "complete manipulation," had expressed her intention to attend the trial despite the restrictions.
In an audio message shared on social media, he reported that his family learned about the date of the proceedings through television and that his communications were restricted on the same day of the official announcement.
"Nothing will change my belief that he is not a spy," she said, defending her father's innocence and assuring that she would do everything possible to support him during the process.
However, this Tuesday, entry to the court was not permitted, on a day marked by complete control of access, the closure of nearby streets and businesses, and surveillance by State Security agents in civilian clothes.
The trial of Alejandro Gil Fernández, who was dismissed in February 2024 and has become one of the most dramatic political falls of Miguel Díaz-Canel's government, includes charges of espionage, embezzlement, bribery, tax evasion, money laundering, and forgery of public documents. The Prosecutor's Office is seeking life imprisonment for the former official.
The exclusion of Laura María, known for her public defense of her father and who requested a televised trial, underscores the lack of transparency and the political control surrounding the process, considered by analysts to be a reflection of the internal fractures of power in Cuba.
Laura María Gil worked for years at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX), alongside her brother, in positions related to investment and exports, a fact that in the past led to accusations of nepotism.
Today, the turn of events places the family at the center of a process that mixes justice, vengeance, and broken loyalties within the Cuban political elite.
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