The romantic tale between Ana de Armas and Manuel Anido Cuesta, the stepson and "advisor" to Miguel Díaz-Canel, is enveloped in layers that could turn this story into a Hollywood blockbuster. Their passionate relationship, showcased in Spain's classic celebrity magazine, now gains an unexpected twist with a hint of suspense. Photos published by Hola reveal the presence of attorneys Rodolfo Dávalos Fernández and his daughter Lourdes Dávalos León, adding a dramatic element to the scene.
What initially seemed like a mere romantic escapade now morphs into a sinister tale where power, wealth, fame, and legal battles intertwine under the glimmer of chandeliers at the luxurious Italian restaurant Numa Pompilio, nestled in Madrid's upscale Salamanca district. Adding to the dramatic tension, the Dávalos were the legal team representing the Cuban state in a case at the London Court of Appeal this past Tuesday—a case that ended in resounding defeat.
The Dávalos duo presented an appeal on behalf of the Banco Nacional de Cuba (BNC) against the investment fund CRF, which the London court dismissed, recognizing CRF as the legitimate creditor of a sovereign debt totaling approximately 72 million euros, initially entered in the name of the Cuban regime's banking entity.
A Web of Influence and Legal Setbacks
Rodolfo Dávalos, serving as the president of the Cuban Court of International Commercial Arbitration, associated with the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Cuba, supposedly "monopolizes" the landscape of national and international arbitration processes involving Cuba, as reported by CiberCuba in January 2023. His daughter Lourdes, who once worked for the Spanish law firm Uría and Menéndez, resides in Madrid, where she engages in various personal ventures and lives a high-profile lifestyle akin to a social media influencer.
With the court's decision against them, and the Cuban state ordered to pay 72 million euros, the Dávalos found themselves dining at Numa Pompilio, sharing the evening with an even more enigmatic couple. The scene, almost cinematic, seemed to lack only a soundtrack by Nino Rota. Could Anido Cuesta and Dávalos León have crossed paths at the University of Havana's Faculty of Law? What might have been the topic of conversation during their dinner? Judging by Hola's photos, Ana de Armas appeared focused and attentive to the defeated barristers.
The Aftermath of Legal Defeat
Having joined Uría Menéndez in 2011, Dávalos León and her father were met with jeers from activists protesting outside the Royal Courts of Justice in England and Wales in January 2023. Accompanying them was regime spokesperson and television presenter Humberto López, who also faced the activists' mockery. López, reporting from London, had confidently declared that the regime's arguments would be irrefutable and devastating.
López's predictions proved wrong, leaving him in Havana, missing out on the culinary delights of Numa Pompilio like the drunken octopus calamarata or the lobster tagliatelle, along with any of the 150 Italian wines on offer. This luxurious experience was reserved for the so-called "losers" of the regime's elite, dining with Cuba's "Marilyn Monroe" and her playboy "advisor" from the creative resistance mastermind.