US prosecutors question the documents presented by Alex Saab’s defense that apparently certify him as a diplomat
The Eleventh District Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The United States (USA), which was deliberating whether or not Colombian businessman Alex Saab had diplomatic immunity at the time he was arrested in mid-July 2020 in Cape Verde, decided to pass the case to the Miami Federal Court – where the judge’s court Robert N. Scola.
This decision, however, leaves open the possibility that he could rule on the Saab case and his diplomatic status at a later date. According to the decision, the parties did not give an opportunity to fully develop the record and it highlights that there was no opportunity to weigh the evidence presented.
“Accordingly, we return the case to the district court to consider in the first instance whether Saab Morán is a foreign diplomat and immune from prosecution,” said a note from Associated Press.
Alex Saab’s lawyers insist that their client was traveling to Iran as a special envoy of the Nicolás Maduro administration when his arrest occurred, as well as explaining that the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry sent letters addressed to the supreme leader of Iran and that from the embassy Persian in Caracas, a letter was also generated in which they support the legality of the position of the barranquillero.
*Also read: Two aunts of Camila Fabri, wife of Alex Saab, arrested for money laundering
For their part, prosecutors doubt the veracity of these documents and point out that the State Department has never accepted Alex Saab’s supposed status as a diplomat.
NEW: Appeals panel leaves to Judge Scola to decide whether Alex Saab is a Venezuelan diplomat immune from prosecution.
The procedural decision doesn’t address the merits of Saab’s argument, meaning he can still appeal if Judge Scola deems he must stand trial for corruption. pic.twitter.com/lW0Z4tMt8e
— Joshua Goodman (@APjoshgoodman) May 2, 2022
The decision of the Court of Appeals in Atlanta is derived from the process carried out on Wednesday April 6, when the hearing ended to determine whether Colombian businessman Alex Saab, deported from Cape Verde in October 2021, has diplomatic status or not.
It must be remembered that the administration of Nicolás Maduro exposed a series of alleged evidence, after Saab’s arrest in Cape Verde in June 2020, in which he claimed that the man from Barranquilla was acting as a special envoy from Venezuela and that he had diplomatic immunity.
Recently, the Special Assets Society of Colombia reported that it plans to put up for sale several properties seized in the order of 200 billion pesos, among which is the luxurious mansion of the businessman from Barranquilla, Alex Saab, who is currently imprisoned in the United States (USA).
This mansion is offered “at auction price” of 10 billion pesos; a construction that is valued at 28 billion pesos for the 3,740 square meters of property it owns and that is distributed on three levels. The property has a swimming pool, a spa with a massage room, a movie theater and closets of up to 50 square meters, among other things.
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