the cuban pilot Ruben Martinez Machado, who escaped from Cuba last October 21 aboard a Russian Antonov plane, offered details about his journey to the United States. The 29-year-old, who is in federal custody, stated that he had planned to leave the Island “for a long time” and that he had some money collected to achieve his purpose, he indicated in a telephone call broadcast this Wednesday by the chain Telemundo.
Asked by a US prosecutor this Thursday about having “stolen an aircraft,” Martínez declared that the vehicle was only “a means” to leave the island, and that 12 days were enough to plan the maneuver.
He added, in the call, that he had managed to collect the equivalent of 3,000 dollars to legally leave the country for Spain, but that after the monetary change that the Ordering Task brought, his savings were reduced to 1,500, according to his calculations.
After his trip was frustrated, he decided to use the Antonov plane he was piloting, belonging to the Empresa Nacional de Servicios Aéreos in Sancti Spíritus. Martínez believes that the trip was “risking his life”, since the flight lasted three hours and was not in a straight line.
“First I went straight to what is international waters, then straight here [Florida] and then I went down the west coast to avoid the population,” he said.
The defense alleges that, on the island, Martínez will face charges of robbery and piracy, which could cost him his life and, definitely, a long sentence.
The landing took place at 11:30 am at the Dade-Collier training airport. “I asked permission to land [a la torre de control]”, affirms Martínez, who landed as soon as he obtained the authorization and was taken into custody.
Martínez remains incarcerated in a penal institution for immigrants in Pompano Beach, Florida, and bail has been denied. “In the end I made the decision to bet my life on being free, that is still at stake,” said the pilot.
The court, as explained by his lawyer, Eduardo Soto, keeps him detained so that he does not escape and evade the trial, because “it was not reliable that [de] here to appear tomorrow”.
The lawyer, who will present the arguments for his bail again in court, believes that any legal complication “could expose him to a possible deportation to Cuba.” “We have asked for protection under the Convention against Torture,” reported Soto. The defense alleges that, on the island, Martínez will face charges of robbery and piracy, which could cost him his life and, definitely, a long sentence.
Martínez’s family, who lives in Santa Clara, has offered several statements to the US media about the young man’s escape and his legal process. His mother, Elisa Machado, exposed this Tuesday to the station Radio Marti that “the logical thing is that he stays there, if he comes here, he’s going to be imprisoned. That’s for sure.”
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