Secret services - US diplomat allegedly spied for Cuba for decades
A former top American diplomat has been indicted in the USA for allegedly working secretly on behalf of Cuba for decades.
The public prosecutor's office accuses the now 73-year-old man of abusing his position of trust in the US government "to promote the interests of a foreign power". He is said to have provided the Cuban secret service with information, some of it classified, since 1981. He is said to have concealed trips abroad from the US government, for example to meet with employees of the Cuban secret service.
Originally from Colombia and later naturalized in the USA, he worked in the US government's National Security Council from 1994 to 1995 and as US ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, according to the Department of Justice. For more than twenty years, he held various positions attached to the US State Department. From 2006 to 2012, he was an advisor to the commander of the US military's Southern Command, whose area of responsibility includes Cuba.
"Decades of" activity for Cuba admitted
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the indictment reveals "one of the most far-reaching and longest-running infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent". Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said the man violated his oath to protect and defend the Constitution and betrayed the trust of the American people.
According to the Justice Department, the man allegedly admitted his "decades-long" service to Cuba during a series of meetings in 2022 and 2023 with an undercover FBI investigator. In order to elicit the man's confession, the FBI investigator allegedly posed as a secret employee of the Cuban secret service. During the meeting, the man acted like a "Cuban agent" and consistently referred to the USA as an "enemy".
The 73-year-old must now appear in court in the US state of Florida. US media had previously reported that the man had been arrested at his home in Miami.
Read also:
- The indictment, issued by the public prosecutor's office in the USA, accuses the former diplomat of collaborating secretly with Cuba's secret service for decades.
- The FBI, part of the Ministry of Justice in the USA, played a key role in the investigation, allegedly using an undercover agent to gather evidence against the diplomat in Cuba.
- The allegations against the diplomat, a naturalized American citizen from Colombia, have raised concerns about the potential for foreign influence in the US government's operations, particularly in relation to Cuba.
- The Cuban government has not publicly commented on the allegations, but the case has drawn attention to the longstanding tensions between the USA and Cuba, with both countries' secret services historically involved in various acts of espionage and subversion.
- If found guilty, the former diplomat could face significant penalties, including prison time and fines, for violating his oath to protect and defend the Constitution and betraying the trust of the American people.
Source: www.stern.de
