Life Imprisonment for Alejandro Gil: Crimes Leading to Conviction

The Supreme People's Court of Cuba announced on Monday the sentences for former Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Fernández, who faced two separate criminal trials for "extremely serious crimes" and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The issued sentences reveal a wide range of offenses, many with ongoing impact on state security, the national economy, and public administration. The hearings took place between November 11 and 13, 2025, and from November 26 to 29. Based on these charges, the deposed leader, once a powerful figure within Havana's communist regime, received a life sentence in one case and 20 years in prison in the other, along with additional penalties.

Espionage and Corruption: The First Trial

In the first criminal case, the court found Gil Fernández guilty of the following crimes:

• Espionage
• Acts detrimental to economic activity or contracts
• Bribery
• Theft and damage of documents or objects under official custody
• Violation of official seals (ongoing offense)
• Violation of classified document protection regulations (ongoing offense)

Due to the accumulated severity of these offenses, especially the espionage and handling of classified information, the court imposed a joint life sentence.

Fraud and Influence: The Second Trial

In a separate file, Gil was found guilty of:

• Continued bribery, used as a means for
• Forgery of public documents
• Ongoing influence peddling
• Continued tax evasion

For this second case, the court issued a joint sentence of 20 years in prison.

Additional Penalties: Confiscations and Bans

In both trials, additional penalties were imposed on the accused, including:

• Confiscation of assets
• Prohibition from holding positions related to the administration of human, material, or financial resources
• Loss of public rights, among other measures established by law

The court stated that these decisions are based on Articles 147 of the Constitution and 71.1 and 29 of the Penal Code, evaluating the "social harm" of the acts.

Betrayal and Corruption: The Verdict

According to the official statement, Gil exploited his position to gain personal benefits, receive money from foreign firms, and bribe other officials to legalize asset acquisitions.

He also violated protocols for handling classified information, stole and damaged it, and ultimately made it available to "enemy services," which the court framed as espionage and betrayal.

The court argued that these behaviors represent an "ethical, moral, and political degradation," recalling that Article 4 of the Constitution establishes that treason is the most severe crime, subject to the harshest penalties. It also noted that the acts violate the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to which Cuba is a signatory.

Legal Rights and Appeals

The accused and the prosecution have ten days to file the legal appeals provided by law. Even if no appeal is filed against the life sentence, the court is legally required to review the sentence on its own.

Once appeals are concluded and if guilt is confirmed, a single sentence will be formed according to Article 86 of the current Penal Code.

The statement concludes by noting that throughout the proceedings, both the accused and his lawyers acknowledged compliance with the procedural guarantees provided in the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Law.

Gil Fernández, once a prominent figure in Miguel Díaz-Canel's cabinet, fell from grace in early 2024 when he was dismissed without explanation.

His trial became one of the most high-profile in recent times, reminiscent of Soviet-era political trials where "betrayal" was a pretext for punishing the system's collapse.