In a statement on Monday, the Supreme Popular Tribunal said that Gil was also given a second, concurrent 20-year prison sentence for corruption

By Owoseni Martins

Cuba’s highest court has sentenced former Economy Minister Alejandro Gil to life in prison on espionage charges after a closed-door trial — one of the country’s most high-profile cases in decades.

In a statement on Monday, the Supreme Popular Tribunal said that Gil was also given a second, concurrent 20-year prison sentence for corruption.

The charges against him include bribery, document falsification, and tax evasion.
Gil, who served as economy minister from 2018 to 2024, had been a close ally of President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The 61-year-old was dismissed in February 2024 and had not been seen publicly until the trial.
The court did not specify what Gil had done or who he was allegedly spying for.

It said he had carried out “corrupt and deceitful actions,” abusing his position “to gain personal benefits.”

According to the court, he accepted money from foreign companies and bribed other officials to legalise the acquisition of assets.

“He failed to follow procedures for handling classified information, stole it, damaged it, and ultimately made it available to the enemy,” the statement added. Gil has the right to appeal the ruling within 10 days.

His case is the most prominent involving a high-ranking official since 2009, when then Vice President Carlos Lage and Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque were removed from office. Although their case involved leaks of sensitive information, they were not prosecuted.

Gil had been the public face of Cuba’s monetary and financial reforms in 2021, including efforts to unify the country’s currency system. However, Cuba already struggling with an economic crisis and shortages of key goods subsequently experienced a sharp rise in inflation.

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