Alex Saab was accused of working as a money launderer for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (File)
Miami:
A US judge on Monday dismissed seven of eight money laundering charges against Alex Saab, a businessman close to the regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, a court filing showed.
At trial in Miami, Florida, following his extradition from Cape Verde earlier this month, the Colombian businessman is still facing a count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which could face up to 20 years in prison.
Judge Robert Scola of the Southern District of Florida signed the order at the request of prosecutors.
On September 7, 2020, during the extradition process, the United States “sent an assurance” to Cape Verde that it “will not prosecute or punish defendant Alex Nan Saab for more than one count of indictment,” prosecutors said. he said. Request for Scola.
The request states that “the decision was made regarding the maximum term of imprisonment to comply with the Cabo Verdin law.”
Saab, a Colombian citizen, and his business partner lvaro Pulido have been accused of running a network in the United States that exploits food aid destined for Venezuela, an oil-rich nation mired in an acute economic crisis.
They are alleged to have moved $350 million from Venezuela into controlled accounts in the United States and other countries.
Saab, who also holds Venezuelan nationality and a Venezuelan diplomatic passport, was convicted of money laundering in Miami in July 2019, and arrested during a plane stopover in Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa in June 2020 Was.
He was extradited to the United States on 17 October.
Venezuela’s opposition has described Saab as a shady deal-making frontman for Maduro’s populist socialist regime.
Prosecutors said the dismissal of the charges only affected Saab, not Pulido.
The accused was to appear before Skola on Monday to appear before him and plead guilty or plead not guilty.
But the hearing was postponed until 15 November to allow Saab to meet in person for the first time with his lawyer, Henry Bell.
That meeting has yet to take place as they were quarantined when Saab arrived in Miami as a precaution due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Venezuela reacted furiously to Saab’s extradition, postponing talks with the US-backed opposition on an end to the country’s political and economic crisis.
Maduro’s government, which gave Colombian Venezuelan nationality and the title of an ambassador, fought unsuccessfully to prevent his transfer to the United States.
Caracas also accused Washington of kidnapping the businessman, and Maduro ordered the suspension of government talks with the opposition in Mexico.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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