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Cuba’s Top Court Gives Ex-Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Life Sentence for Espionage

The judgments are subject to appeal within ten days under rules that trigger an automatic review of any life term.

Overview

  • Gil also received a separate 20-year prison term in a second case for bribery, falsifying public documents, influence peddling and tax evasion.
  • The Supreme Court said the November trials were held behind closed doors in Havana, and it did not identify which country or entity benefited from the alleged espionage.
  • Judges alleged Gil took money from foreign firms, bribed officials and mishandled classified material that was ultimately placed at the disposal of “services of the enemy.”
  • The court ordered confiscation of assets and characterized the conduct as highly injurious, invoking language of treason to justify severe penalties.
  • After appeals are resolved, authorities said the penalties could be consolidated into a single sanction for execution, according to the court’s notice.