“Can anyone believe that Alejandro Gil acted alone?” he questioned.
MIAMI.- María Victoria Gil Fernándezsister of the former Minister of Economy and Planning of Cuba Alejandro Gil Fernández spoke publicly about the judicial process faced by the former official, accused by the regime of serious crimes such as espionage, embezzlement, money laundering and bribery. In statements to Telemundo 51the lawyer and former television presenter denounced the political nature of the case and questioned the impartiality of the Cuban justice system.
From his residence in the Canary Islands, Gil recognized his brother’s moral and political responsibilities in the economic management of the country, but maintained that the trial is a maneuver by the government to divert attention from the profound economic deterioration that Cuba is going through. In his opinion, Alejandro Gil is being used as a scapegoat to cover up the failures of official policies and internal struggles at the top of power.
Gil Fernández affirmed that his brother has direct responsibility for decisions that affected the economic life of the country, such as monetary reorganization and uncontrolled inflation, but he questioned whether he is judged by the same system he served for years. According to her, the process lacks legitimacy because the same leaders who endorsed these policies now point to him as the only culprit.
He recalled that for a long time he tried to warn him about the country’s drift and the impossibility of reforming the system from within. In several personal conversations, he asked him to resign and leave the government, which he considered unsustainable and morally exhausted. He noted that he refused to do so because he believed he could contribute to a gradual transformation and because he trusted the power structures.
In his words, Alejandro Gil benefited from the advantages of the position, like other high officials, but that does not justify that he is now presented as the only person responsible for the economic collapse. “I apologize to the people of Cuba for the blood I share with Alejandro Gil,” he added.
He stressed that the policies that are accused of him today were collective decisions of the country’s leadership, headed by Miguel Díaz-Canel and Raúl Castro.
“My brother knows many things that are not convenient for many people to know… can anyone believe that Alejandro Gil acted alone?” he questioned.
The lawyer also highlighted that her brother is not an economist by training, but rather an engineer in maritime transport operations, and that his rise in the state hierarchy was due more to his political loyalty than to his technical experience. He considers that this lack of preparation contributed to management errors, but that these failures were shared by the entire government structure.
“He is an engineer in maritime transport exploitation. He is not an economist. He only did an economics thesis, and his tutor was precisely Miguel Díaz-Canel. The errors he made were due to lack of knowledge, but that does not exempt him from guilt,” he expressed.
In the interview, Gil Fernández regretted that the process against his brother is taking place under total opacity. He stated that since his dismissal on February 2, 2024 and the subsequent announcement of his investigation for “serious errors”, no detailed official information has been provided nor has independent lawyers been allowed access. He added that the family does not know the exact conditions of his detention and that the authorities have maintained a policy of absolute silence.
María Victoria Gil maintained that behind the case there could be an internal struggle between different sectors of power in Cuba. According to her, her brother knows sensitive information about the state’s finances and the government’s economic operations, which would explain the severity of the charges. “My brother knows many things that it is not convenient for many people to know,” he declared, suggesting that the trial seeks to silence possible revelations.
Despite his criticism, he reiterated that he is not trying to exonerate him, but rather to demand a fair and transparent process. In his words, he does not accept that he is judged by a judicial system that lacks independence and that responds directly to the interests of the Communist Party.
The former minister has remained in provisional prison for more than a year and a half. The Prosecutor’s Office presented the proceedings before the Supreme People’s Court on October 31 and, according to his sister’s estimates, the trial could be held before the end of the year.
