Cuba's Attorney General has formally charged former Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Alejandro Gil Fernández with a wide-ranging list of crimes, including espionage, bribery, embezzlement, and money laundering. Gil, once a close confidant of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, was abruptly sacked in February 2024. The prosecution's public disclosure of espionage alongside corruption marks one of the most significant and high-profile political scandals to rock Cuba's ruling Communist Party in decades.
Espionage and a Laundry List of Crimes
The charges against Alejandro Gil, who has not been seen or heard from publicly since his removal, are the result of a nearly two-year investigation conducted by the Ministry of Interior and overseen by the Attorney General's office.
Top Charge: The most startling accusation is the crime of espionage, which, under Cuba's penal code, carries a severe penalty ranging from 10 years in prison to death.
Economic Offenses: The investigation also uncovered a long list of alleged financial and economic crimes, suggesting a deep-seated network of corruption:
- Embezzlement and Bribery
- Acts detrimental to economic activity or contracting
- Money Laundering
- Tax Evasion
- Influence Peddling
- Falsification of public documents
Classified Documents: He is also charged with violation of rules on classified documents and theft and damage of documents or other objects in official custody, which likely links to the espionage charge.
Authorities have requested prison sentences for Gil and other unnamed defendants but have not specified the trial date or elaborated on the details of the alleged spying activities, including which foreign entity may have benefited.
The Economic Context of the Scandal
Gil served as Minister of Economy and Planning from 2019 and was a prominent face of President Díaz-Canel's economic team. His tenure coincided with a worsening financial crisis, making his alleged corruption all the more controversial.
- Disastrous Reform: Gil spearheaded the Tarea Ordenamiento (Economic Reorganization Plan) implemented in January 2021. This reform, which aimed to unify Cuba's dual-currency system, is widely viewed by critics as a failure that triggered soaring inflation, currency collapse, and deepened the country's severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicine.
- Public Dissatisfaction: He had also advocated for highly unpopular policies, including planned price hikes for government-subsidized services like gasoline and electricity, which exacerbated public frustration during desperate economic times.
- Official Removal: Gil's removal in February 2024 was initially announced with the vague statement that he had committed "grave errors," highlighting the secrecy that typically surrounds high-level political departures in Cuba.