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Cuba Sentences Ex-Economy Minister Alejandro Gil to Life for Espionage

State accounts describe a closed proceeding in what officials call Cuba’s most prominent graft case since 1989.

Former Cuban Economy Minister Alejandro Gil has been sentenced to life in prison for espionage and economic crimes

Overview

  • The Supreme Popular Tribunal also imposed a concurrent 20-year term for bribery, falsification of documents, influence peddling and tax evasion.
  • Court statements accuse Gil of taking money from foreign companies, bribing officials and mishandling classified material by making it available to “the enemy.”
  • Gil has 10 days to appeal the verdict, and Cuban law provides for an automatic review of life sentences that requires a second trial.
  • Reuters reported it could not reach Gil or his lawyer for comment, and independent verification is limited because the trials and records were closed.
  • Officials and reporting frame the prosecution as the most significant since the 1989 Arnaldo Ochoa case.