Source: Aljazeera
DST News: Cuba’s attorney general has formally charged former Economy and Planning Minister Alejandro Gil and several others with espionage and multiple financial crimes following a nearly two-year investigation.
According to an official statement released on Friday, Gil and his associates face accusations including espionage, embezzlement, bribery, forgery of public documents, tax evasion, influence peddling, money laundering, and the mishandling or theft of classified materials. Authorities have not disclosed which foreign country or entities may have benefited from the alleged spying activities.
The charges carry penalties ranging from 10 years in prison to the death sentence under Cuba’s penal code. A trial date has yet to be announced.
Gil, 61, served as economy minister from 2019 until his dismissal in February 2024. Once a close confidant of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, he spearheaded the government’s ambitious 2021 monetary reform, aimed at unifying Cuba’s dual currency system, adjusting subsidies, and reforming wage structures. However, the initiative led to runaway inflation, a sharp decline in the peso’s value, and mounting struggles for state-run enterprises amid the country’s ongoing economic crisis.
When Gil was removed from office, officials only cited “grave errors” without elaboration. He has not made any public statements regarding the accusations and has not appeared publicly since the investigation began.
