María Victoria Gil Fernández urged that her brother, former Cuban Minister of Economy Alejandro Gil Fernández, be recognized as a political prisoner following the confirmation of his sentence by the Supreme Court of Cuba.
In an interview granted to CiberCuba, the former lawyer and ex-host of Cuban television asserted that the judicial process against her brother is politically motivated and denounced what she views as persecution within the power system itself.
The Supreme Court recently upheld the sentence against the former official, which includes life imprisonment for espionage and 30 years in prison for corruption.
According to her sister, the family had hoped that the sentence would be reviewed or modified, but it ultimately remained unchanged.
During the interview, he explained that the corruption accusation against his brother is based on events that took place in the 1990s, when Alejandro Gil was working as the manager of the company Caudal.
According to their account, the case revolves around royalties totaling approximately 4,000 CUC.
According to María Victoria Gil, that money was later given to a cousin of the family to be exchanged "under the table" for dollars, something that, she claimed, was used by the Prosecutor's Office to build the case for money laundering.
The sister of the former minister stated that these events occurred more than three decades ago and that, from a legal standpoint, they should be considered time-barred or, in any case, administrative offenses.
According to what he explained, he had access to the conclusions of the case prosecutor, Robert Campbell, which—he claims—form the basis for much of the corruption charges against his brother.
Gil assured that the document outlines the facts related to the 4,000 CUC in royalties that would have been received in the 1990s.
He also stated that, in his opinion, the case reflects a strong judicial vendetta against his brother and questioned how a prosecutor with decades of experience could request such a severe sentence for those actions.
During the interview, he also referenced the figure of Rubén Remigio Ferro, who presided over the Supreme People's Court of Cuba for many years.
According to his statement, Remigio reportedly refused to sign the conviction sentence against Alejandro Gil in the corruption case.
According to his account, that refusal is said to have led to his departure from the position after more than two decades at the head of the country's highest court.
María Victoria Gil stated that this information was conveyed to her by sources connected to the judicial system itself.
The interviewee also stated that her brother fell from grace within the government due to the information he gained during his time as Minister of Economy and Planning.
According to what he stated, the former official allegedly uncovered irregularities linked to the military conglomerate GAESA, one of the main business groups controlled by the Armed Forces in Cuba.
In that context, he stated that a decision had been made within the government to definitively remove him from power.
According to his version, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero was tasked with "politically finishing off" Alejandro Gil.
Despite her complaints, María Victoria Gil also acknowledged that, in the event of a political transition in Cuba, her brother should be judged for his role within the system.
Nevertheless, he insisted that this eventual process should be carried out with legal guarantees and under an independent judicial system.
"If there is a transition in Cuba, my brother must be judged for being part of a government that has destroyed the country, but he must be judged fairly and with guarantees," he stated.
At the same time, he reiterated his call to the international community for his brother's case to be regarded as political.
"I want to ask the international community to consider my brother a political prisoner," he stated during the interview.
He argued that if the Cuban government has sentenced him to life in prison for espionage, then his case should be seen as that of a political prisoner rather than a common criminal.
María Victoria Gil stated that she will continue to denounce the judicial process against her brother and promote an international campaign for his case to be reviewed and to be recognized as a political prisoner.
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