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American Justice drops 7 of the 8 charges against Alex Saab
In the case that is developed against the Colombian businessman Alex Saab, accused mainly of money laundering, it has taken an unexpected turn.
Is that the judge in charge of the case, has lifted the charges of money laundering that had been imputed to the Colombian businessman, who is also an ally of the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, Alex Saab is accused of being his frontman.
In the same way, Alex Saab continues to be accused of conspiracy to launder money, as stated in his judicial file, said charge could give Saab a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, is what is stipulated in the laws of the United States.
Seven of his eight charges that had been imputed to Alex Saab have been dismissed after the US Attorney's Office made the request to the judge in charge of the case, all this in compliance with what was agreed with the authorities of Cape Verde, a country from which Alex Saab was extradited on October 16.
The Prosecutors agreed with the authorities of the African country to withdraw the charges to prevent 49-year-old Alex Saab from being sentenced to a maximum penalty higher than those contemplated by the Cape Verdean authorities, thus fulfilling one of the requirements established by the African country to approve the extradition of the Colombian businessman.
Robert Scola District judge approved the request of the Prosecutor's Office, and in addition to this, he accepted the request to postpone the hearing scheduled for this Monday until next November 15 of this year, all this motivated by the request of Alex Saab's defense lawyer in consequence for not being able to meet in person with the defendant because he remains under quarantine by the protocols against COVID-19 in prison.
Extradition of Alex Saab to the United States
Colombian businessman Alex Saab was extradited from Cape Verde to the United States, where he was placed under arrest in June 2020 at the request of a court order issued by the United States.
Alex Saab is accused by the Prosecutor's Office, who affirms that he is a businessman of Colombian nationality and that he is the main negotiator of the Nicolás Maduro regime, he diverted around US $350 million from Venezuelan patrimony through the United States, in which it would be a plot of bribes linked to the exchange rate that at the time was controlled by the Venezuelan government.
All this judicial process that weighs on the figure of Alex Saab has made relations in Chavista Venezuela and the United States, things even worse, so much so that the Venezuelan government has risen from the dialogue table that it had with the opposition Venezuelan in Mexico City, claiming to be one of the main reasons for the decision made by Nicolás Maduro.
For the United States Government, Alex Saab represents a key piece of a giant structure of corruption, which mainly links the close circle of President Nicolás Maduro, which is why the Venezuelan government has declared that they consider the imprisonment of Alex Saab as "a kidnapping" and also affirms that this would be one more chapter in what they call the "economic war" that the United States claims to have against Venezuela.
