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The People's Supreme Court reported on Monday that the former Minister of Economy and Planning of Cuba, Alejandro Miguel Gil Fernández, was sentenced to life in prison for charges including espionage, corruption, and bribery, among others.
The ruling was officially notified on December 8, 2025, following two criminal proceedings held in November.
According to the official statement, Gil Fernández was found guilty of espionage, acts detrimental to economic activity or contracting, bribery, theft and damage of official documents, violation of seals, and regulations for the protection of classified documents, several of which were of a continuous nature.
For these crimes, the court imposed a joint sentence of life imprisonment.
In a second trial, the former minister was also found guilty of ongoing bribery, forgery of public documents, influence peddling, and tax evasion, resulting in a second sentence of 20 years in prison.
Both penalties also include the confiscation of assets, the prohibition from holding public office, and the deprivation of civil rights.
The court justified the convictions based on Article 147 of the Constitution and Articles 29 and 71 of the Penal Code, arguing the "high social harm" of the acts and characterizing Gil Fernández's behavior as an "ethical, moral, and political degradation."
The official text states that the former minister "deceived the country's leadership and the people," bribed officials to gain personal benefits, and provided classified information to enemy services.
The regime framed the case within the narrative of "betrayal of the homeland," stating that the actions of the former minister violated the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to which Cuba is a signatory.
The reference to Article 4 of the Constitution, which considers treason to be "the most serious of crimes," underscores the political and exemplary nature of the sentence.
Gil Fernández, who was one of the most prominent figures in Miguel Díaz-Canel's cabinet, fell from grace in early 2024 when he was dismissed without any explanations.
His trial became one of the most publicized in recent times, reminiscent of the political trials of the Soviet era, where "treason" served as a pretext to punish the collapse of the system.
The statement from the Court adds that both the accused and the Prosecutor's Office can file appeals within ten days, and that the life sentence itself will be appealed ex officio as a "procedural guarantee."
If his guilt is confirmed, the sentences will be consolidated into a single and final sanction, as provided in Article 86 of the current Penal Code.
With this sentence, the regime aims to send a message of "zero tolerance" towards corruption, while the population endures one of the worst economic and social crises in recent decades, characterized by blackouts, inflation, mass migration, and hunger.
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