“The Court has imposed a single sentence of life imprisonment” for “espionage crimes” and “acts detrimental to economic activity or contract execution,” the country’s highest judicial authority said in a press release.

The court did not detail what Alejandro Gil – who served from 2018 to 2024 as minister of economy and planning – was alleged to have done.

Gil, 61, was found guilty of “corruption, misappropriation and degradation of documents or other items under official custody, violation of official seals, and breach of rules for the protection of classified documents,” the court stated.

In a separate trial he got 20 years for bribery, influence peddling and tax evasion, the court said in the same statement.

He was found guilty of continuous corruption offences, as well as influence peddling and tax fraud.

When the court charged Gil in early November, it did not disclose for which country or entity the alleged acts of espionage were carried out, nor did it provide details on the economic misconduct in question.

Gil was known to be close to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

He has not been seen in public since his abrupt removal as minister in February 2024. He has 10 days to appeal the verdict.

On Nov 1, the attorney general announced that Cuban prosecutors had charged him with espionage and various other crimes including bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion. His trial began on Nov 11.

Gil’s case played out at a time when the country is experiencing its worst economic crisis in 30 years and undergoing a chaotic opening to the private sector, with high inflation, the impoverishment of a large part of the population, and increasing inequalities.