In recent hours it has been shown that Barranquilla Álex Saab Morán is not a mere contractor of the Nicolás Maduro regime. His appointment as Permanent and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Africa – revealed by EL TIEMPO – confirmed the importance it has for Maduro, who is desperately trying to grant him immunity before his extradition to the United States.
(We invite you to read: Nicolás Maduro has everything ready to take Álex Saab to Ethiopia)
Businessman Álex Saab has gone from a simple contractor to a plenipotentiary ambassador of Venezuela.
Archive / TIME
The diplomatic movement in favor of the notorious character of the Venezuelan dictator was dismissed by the Trump administration. But he began to confirm what had been a rumor until now.
The New York Times reported a few days ago that the San Jacinto missile cruiser had conducted a military mission in Cape Verde to prevent Saab from fleeing and had already been withdrawn from the area.
(You may be interested in: Cape Verde raids the offices of the executives involved in the Saab case)
However, EL TIEMPO confirmed that it was not an isolated event and that, in addition to legal action, the United States is carrying out discreet military tactics around a plot that goes beyond the shady millionaire contracts signed by Saab or that hide gold and dollars stolen from the regime. .
Nicolás Maduro’s desperation to protect Álex Saab from extradition is obvious. His judicial and diplomatic movements show that he is not a mere entrepreneur inherited from Hugo Chávez.
It is clear to federal officials that Maduro’s attempt to protect Saab is due to the fact that the Barranquilla man has the keys to secret agreements with Iran, Turkey and even Russia, which could affect the security of the United States and the region.
In fact, 5 days ago, Iran came out to accuse the Trump administration of making provocative military maneuvers through the region with bombers that could escalate.
(Also: What does the US say about Saab being Maduro’s plenipotentiary ambassador?)
“The San Jacinto warship has already been moved from these coordinates. But I can confirm that another cruise ship has arrived to replace it, and at the moment another one from the North Atlantic is approaching. “a federal source in the United States told this newspaper.
The warship San Jacinto has already been moved from these coordinates. But I can confirm that another cruise ship has arrived, and at the moment another one from the North Atlantic is approaching “: the USA.
mONITORING
He added that although he performs alternative missions in the area, surveillance around Saab is one of them. In addition, that for the same purpose there are several agents in the embassy of his country in Cape Verde, the oldest diplomatic mission in that island country.
EL TIEMPO also confirmed that two friendly European countries have been supporting surveillance in the area since June, when Saab was captured in transit to Iran, where it was to sell petrol, food and medicine, in the face of the pandemic and the aggressive gringo blockade. .
(Context: Cape Verde denies Álex Saab house arrest and challenges the judgment)
“One of these countries has a ship in nearby waters to monitor communications. Like our cruise ships, they have satellites and technology “, the source explained.
He added that due to this monitoring, an Iranian plane was detected, to which Cape Verde refused the residence permit. The unconfirmed information says that the aircraft then left for Venezuela, without the desired cargo: Saab.
This is the office with which Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza is asking Saab to assume immediate positions in Ethiopia.
At that time, Venezuela was already demanding that, through a humanitarian gesture, Saab be allowed to spend the holidays at the end of the year with his family. Or at least be granted house arrest by the West African Court of Justice (ECOWAS).
(On this subject: Maduro warns Cape Verde that he kept Álex Saab imprisoned)
In a cocktail of legal-diplomatic arguments, Saab’s defense says that the deadlines already exist, without their situation being defined. And that Saab is a diplomat with immunity.
The problem began to move more forcefully when San Jacinto left the waters of Cape Verde. They even managed to propose the opening of a diplomatic headquarters in that country, so that Saab could use it as a home prison.
This is the Cape Verdean businessman who had meetings with people close to Saab.
Procrastination
In parallel with the military commission, Justice Department officials have already responded to concerns raised by the Cape Verde Supreme Court over Saab’s extradition.
The briefs include, among other things, why some of the allegations on which the extradition request was originally based have been dropped. These are related to Colombian brothers Reinaldo and José Slebi, who – as EL TIEMPO revealed – allowed a vehicle for Saab to enter money into the US financial system.
When the judicial vacancy is filled, on January 15, 2021, the case will leave the Court of Appeal, again to the Supreme Court, for the final decision. And it is clear that while this is happening, the United States does not want surprises.
Joe Biden’s administration is already aware of US judicial position on Álex Saab and Venezuela
Biden and retroactivity
In fact, the new US government is already aware of the two councils on which the case is moving and the strategic and geopolitical importance of Saab’s eventual extradition.
But it remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will follow that course of action and even intensify the pressure.
(You may be interested: Álex Saab accuses Cape Verde of evading an order to release him from prison)
Meanwhile, Saab remains under surveillance. And it is clear that both the regime and its lawyers – including former Judge Baltasar Garzón – will continue to fight the legal battle.
“And no one rules out that a team arrives in Cape Verde to extract or kill him for what he knows,” a federal source told EL TIEMPO without hesitation.
(You may be interested: DEA pursues two former allies of Álex Saab in Barranquilla)
At the moment, Saab’s lawyers are still looking for case law to show that the immunity granted to him by his new position is retroactive.
“Contrary to the misleading position of the United States, the principle of retroactive diplomatic immunity is recognized by federal courts in the United States,” says his defense.
(In context: The woman from Bogota in the DEA vision for turns and connections with Álex Saab)
And while the United States calls this appointment a false, ineffective step, the defense says there are two cases in which courts have refused to challenge certification of diplomatic status, even if individuals did not hold those positions at the time. of the alleged irregularities.Saab, in turn, spent its first New Year in a 2 by 2 meter cell, with limited communications and the title of plenipotentiary ambassador.
What is extradition about?
In Cape Verde, the judicial vacancy is filled on 15 January. That Friday, the case of Álex Saab, who was returned to the Court of Appeal, returns again to the Supreme Court for the final decision.
But his lawyers again summoned Cape Verde to the West African court to force his house arrest. And now, as Venezuela’s plenipotentiary ambassador, they will demand immediate release under penalty of fines for Cape Verde.
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