The property was confiscated as part of the execution of the sentence handed down against the former deputy prime minister, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The family of Alejandro Gil Fernández, Cuba’s former Minister of Economy, sentenced to life imprisonment for espionage, was evicted this Wednesday from their home in the upscale Havana neighborhood of Miramar. The two-story house, located on 24th Street between 1st and 3rd Streets in the Playa municipality, was occupied by the former Deputy Prime Minister’s wife, Gina González García; their daughter, Laura Gil González; his son-in-law, Álvaro Iglesias; and his young granddaughter, Laura and Álvaro’s daughter.
The property was seized as part of the execution of the accessory sanctions imposed in the sentence against the former deputy prime minister, including the confiscation of assets, as his sister, former broadcaster María Victoria (Vicky) Gil, confirmed to 14ymedio from Spain.
The operation began early, “around seven in the morning,” according to neighborhood sources cited by CubaNet, which documented the event with photographs. At least two trucks were parked in front of the property to load the family’s belongings, destined for their new home, Johnson 160, in La Víbora, Vicky Gil also confirmed.
“Laura is happy, despite all the difficulties, because she says that they never felt the house in Miramar was truly theirs.”
This is the Gil Fernández family home, which the former radio announcer herself had given to her niece when she moved to Spain. “The house has been closed up for two or three years, and it’s full of dust. The child has a terrible cold,” Gil told this newspaper, “but Laura is happy, despite all the difficulties, because she says that they never felt the house in Miramar was truly theirs, and that at least they’ve recovered the property, which they said they weren’t going to get back.”
Regarding this, she explains that during the trial, held in complete secrecy last November – in two separate sessions – “they said that I had made a fictitious donation to my niece, and that therefore the family home was part of the confiscated assets.” The Miramar property, the former radio announcer continues, was given to her brother when he was Minister of Economy and Planning, and in its place, “as a form of exchange with the State,” they handed over the family home, which was returned to them this Wednesday.
“It was legally proven that it was a legal act, a donation from aunt to niece,” which, she asserts, was made before a notary public in the municipality of Plaza de la Revolución, “with all the required legality.” This, she concludes, “they have been forced to acknowledge.”
Vicky Gil describes the property, inherited from her parents – Esperanza Fernández Castells and Miguel Ángel Gil Castilla – as “a nice apartment” built in 1958, which has been handed over to them “completely painted, doors, windows, ceilings, walls, in perfect condition.” The former radio announcer continues, “It has 80 square meters, a balcony overlooking the street with views of Parque de la Sola, two large bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, a shared bathroom, a very spacious living and dining room, a kitchen, a service patio, and a guest bathroom. It has no adjoining apartments.”
Vicky Gil describes the property as “a good apartment,” which has also been delivered “completely painted, doors, windows, ceilings, walls, in perfect condition.”
They were, certainly, a well-to-do family. Her father was a mining engineer and her mother a prestigious architect, who was part of, for example, the group of professionals involved in the design and construction of the emblematic Havana Bay Tunnel, built between 1957 and 1958. At the time of Fernández Castells’ death, Vicky Gil was living with her, and her brother relinquished his rights to the apartment, which is why it passed into the hands of the former radio announcer.
Agents deployed in the surrounding area prevented residents from recording or taking photographs, according to testimonies gathered by CubaNet. One account indicates that a woman who left her home with her cell phone was intercepted by a man who demanded to see the device’s gallery to verify that she had not recorded any images of the eviction.
The confiscation of Gil’s assets had already been confirmed by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), although it did not publicly specify which properties would be seized. On December 8, 2025, the SPC issued the sentences against the former minister and imposed additional penalties, including asset confiscation, a ban on holding positions involving the administration of public funds, and the deprivation of public rights. At the end of January, the court upheld the convictions by rejecting the appeals filed by the defense. From that moment, the additional penalties could begin to be enforced.
Gil was initially sentenced to life imprisonment for espionage, acts detrimental to economic activity or contracting, bribery, theft and damage to documents or objects in official custody, violation of official seals, and breach of regulations protecting classified documents. In a second trial, he received a 20-year prison sentence for bribery as a means to commit falsification of public documents, influence peddling, and tax evasion. The combination of charges makes this one of the most serious cases against a high-ranking Cuban official in decades.
Before his rise to the Ministry of Economy, Gil had built a career within the state-run financial and insurance sector. British business records list him as a director, a position he has since resigned from, of three companies in the United Kingdom: Anglo-Caribbean Insurance Agents Limited, ACIA (UK) Limited, and Seaclaim Limited. This documentation proves his corporate positions between 2004 and 2010, although it does not, on its own, establish personal ownership or direct employment. The companies appear to be linked to the insurance and reinsurance sector in London, an industry associated with Cuban financial operations abroad.
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