Cuba’s Bombshell Espionage Charges: Ex-Economy Minister Gil Faces Death Penalty in Corruption Purge
HAVANA — In a stunning escalation of Cuba’s anti-corruption crusade, prosecutors have slapped former Economy Minister Alejandro Gil with espionage charges that could land him on death row, alongside a laundry list of financial felonies that expose the island’s crumbling economic facade. The announcement Friday, after a secretive two-year probe, has ignited whispers of a political witch hunt amid Havana’s deepening crisis.
Gil, 59, who helmed the Economy and Planning Ministry from 2019 until his abrupt ouster in February 2024, now stares down accusations of betraying state secrets to unnamed foreign actors, alongside embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, forgery, influence peddling, and mishandling classified docs. Cuba’s penal code doles out 10 years to life—or execution—for espionage, making this one of the regime’s most explosive cases since the Castro era. No trial date’s set, and officials stonewalled on who might’ve gained from the alleged leaks, leaving analysts to speculate on ties to U.S. intelligence or rival Latin powers.
Once a Díaz-Canel inner circle darling, Gil spearheaded the ill-fated 2021 “Ordering Task”—a bold currency unification blitz meant to scrap subsidies, hike wages, and unleash private sector mojo. Instead, it unleashed hyperinflation (peaking at 30% last year), a peso nosedive, and black-market mayhem that fueled mass exodus. His firing came with a vague “grave errors” tag, but whispers of graft swirled; now, prosecutors claim he siphoned funds and rigged contracts, dragging in unnamed accomplices from state firms. Gil’s gone radio silent since detention, with family mum and no lawyer’s surfaced.
The probe’s timing reeks of desperation: Cuba’s GDP shrank 2% in 2024, blackouts plague Havana, and tourism—once a lifeline—tanked 15% amid U.S. travel curbs. “This isn’t justice—it’s scapegoating to distract from policy flops,” blasts Miami-based exile Carlos Salazar, a former Cuban diplomat turned analyst, who sees Gil as the fall guy for Díaz-Canel’s reform fumbles. Human Rights Watch slammed the charges as “opaque and politically motivated,” urging UN observers.
X lit up with fury and memes post-announcement. Mario Nawfal’s viral thread—”Havana Drama: From Technocrat to Traitor?”—snagged 34K views, with replies skewering it as “Castro 2.0 theater” (150+ likes). Cuban expats in Florida piled on: @Alexkennedy310’s post, calling it a “regime purge,” drew 17 views and quips like “Espionage? Or just exposing the emperor’s empty wallet?” Domestically, state media’s blackout sparked underground Telegram buzz, per dissident sources.
For U.S. watchers, this Havana shake-up stings close: With 1.2 million Cuban-Americans fueling Florida’s swing-state clout, the charges could harden Biden-era thaw efforts, already iced by sanctions over Venezuela oil swaps. Espionage claims might justify tighter remittances—$3B yearly lifeline for families—or fresh Title III lawsuits seizing Cuban assets stateside. Economically, it chills the $500M U.S.-Cuba trade (mostly food exports), as investors balk at Havana’s instability, per U.S. Chamber of Commerce alerts. In migration’s shadow—200K rafters fled last year—this saga amps humanitarian pleas, testing Washington’s “democracy vs. stability” tightrope amid 2026 midterms.
As the gavel looms, Gil’s fate could crack open more elite indictments, or bury them under opacity. In a nation where bread lines outlast loyalty oaths, this scandal underscores a regime cornered—clinging to control as its economic house burns.
By Sam Michael
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