Former Minister Alejandro Gil Faces Espionage Trial: Sister Outlines Three Potential Outcomes

The espionage trial against Cuba's former Minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil Fernández, has unfolded amid a shroud of secrecy, heightened security, and exclusion of family members.

To those close to him, this closed-door proceeding, lacking transparency, appears to have a predetermined outcome.

María Victoria Gil, the accused's sister and former TV presenter turned lawyer, has been closely following the case. She acknowledges that the judicial landscape seems to narrow to three possible scenarios, albeit all seemingly leading to a foregone conclusion of guilt.

In a recent conversation with YouTuber Darwin Santana, following the conclusion of the trial's second day, María Victoria Gil expressed her deep concerns:

“I fear, unfortunately, that the verdict is already set. God willing, I am wrong.”

This sentiment reflects a family that feels betrayed by a judicial system offering no minimal guarantees of transparency or justice.

A Trial Shrouded in Secrecy: Family Speaks Out

María Victoria Gil provided a heartrending account of the trial's two-day proceedings held at the Marianao Court, overseen by the People's Supreme Court, as is customary for charges labeled as threats to state security.

“The trial took place over two days behind closed doors, with stringent security measures for both the public and the press, enveloped in complete secrecy,” she recounted.

“My niece was not allowed entry… only my nephew was permitted inside, but he hasn’t said anything," she clarified.

Despite this, she expressed personal trust in the Supreme Court's president, Rubén Remigio Ferro: “He is someone I admire and trust implicitly.”

She also spoke highly of the defense attorney: “Dr. Abel Solá… currently considered one of Cuba's foremost criminal lawyers and a specialist in espionage cases.”

Yet, this institutional trust is tempered by a bitter disappointment: “All my hopes for a dismissal of the case due to lack of evidence before the oral trial… were not realized. I prayed fervently for it, but it didn’t come to pass.”

Potential Outcomes in a Pre-Set Judicial Landscape

According to María Victoria Gil, there are now only three potential outcomes:

• The prosecution could finalize its preliminary conclusions and uphold the request for a life sentence. “One option,” she stated, “is that the prosecution maintains its demand for a life sentence.”
• The prosecution might revise its conclusions and propose a lesser sentence. “Another possibility is that the prosecution finalizes more moderate conclusions, leading to a lesser penalty.”
• The prosecution could withdraw the charge entirely. “The third possibility is for the prosecution to drop the charge… though that seems like asking God for the impossible.”

“I swear on all that is sacred, I have no information,” she insisted.

“I fear, unfortunately, that the verdict is already set,” she concluded.

Pre-Trial Warnings and Allegations of Political Persecution

Days before the trial, María Victoria Gil had already publicly warned about the conditions surrounding the process and her brother's situation in an interview with journalist Javier Díaz from Univision.

She condemned the imposed communication blackout on the family, describing the trial as politically motivated punishment.

“The trial is completely shielded… I have no communication because my niece and nephew had their internet cut and WhatsApp blocked since yesterday,” she stated, highlighting the extent of control and isolation enforced from the moment the trial date was announced—a detail the family learned from state television.

She emphatically labeled the process as persecution: “This is a classic case of brutal persecution.”

María Victoria argued that her brother was not targeted for state betrayal but rather for attempting reform: “I doubt my brother became a spy. What I do believe is that he tried to change things… he became inconvenient because he wanted to reform the economic structure of Cuba.”

In her view, the reforms Alejandro Gil advocated for—openings toward private property and the non-state sector—placed him in a precarious position within the power structure, making him a target.

Alarming Deterioration and Family's Plea

Beyond the legal accusations, María Victoria described a troubling physical decline: “He is suffering… abusive treatment… he has lost 50 pounds, is bald, and has stress-induced alopecia areata.”

Gil Fernández has been detained in a high-security prison for over a year. His daughter, Laura María Gil, lamented her inability to attend the trial and dismissed the charges as “complete manipulation.”

“Nothing changes my belief that he is not a spy,” she stated. His son, Alejandro Arnaldo Gil González, was present at the hearing but did not make any statements.

One of María Victoria’s most poignant appeals was directed at her brother, urging him not to remain silent or sacrifice himself for others: “I told my brother… speak up, don’t submit, don’t be afraid… it’s better to die with dignity than live humiliated.”

“Dignity has no price… freedom has no price… truth has no price.”

She insisted that protecting those who don’t deserve it is futile: “Don’t cover for someone who doesn’t deserve it… lay it all on the line.”

And she concluded with a statement heavy with symbolic meaning: “To die for a true cause where you’ve exposed all the corruption of the Castroist elite… it’s worth dying and becoming a hero of the nation.”

The trial, conducted under strict security measures, has barred access to the press, independent observers, and family members not pre-selected. The prosecution maintains its espionage charge—deemed a “threat to state security”—and has sought a life sentence as punishment.

Beyond the legal aspects, what emerges powerfully from María Victoria Gil’s statements is the realization of facing a closed and predetermined process: “It’s a sentence already dictated.”