WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2022) The lawyer for Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab said his client's cooperation with US authorities after being extradited was undertaken with the full support of President Nicolas Maduro's government, and accused Washington of trying to harm Caracas' interests by releasing details of the talks.
Court documents released earlier in the day revealed that Saab, a special envoy for Maduro, had provided confidential information to the US government about charges of financial crimes related to alleged violations of Iran sanctions. The documents also indicated that Saab had been cooperating with the US Justice Department prior to his arrest in Cape Verde in 2020. Saab was detained en route to Iran on a humanitarian mission for Caracas.
"Mr. Saab states in the strongest possible terms that any alleged engagement which took place with the (US) Department of Justice and various law enforcement officials, was undertaken with the full knowledge and support of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," defense attorney David Rivkin told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"Saab would like to stress that the release of the document, at the request of the Department of Justice, is no more than an attempt to harm the interests of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, to try to weaken the strength of the relationship between Alex Saab and Venezuela and further evidences the weakness of the criminal charges made against him. Alex Saab remains a loyal citizen and diplomat of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and will never do anything to harm the interests of the country and people that have given him so much."
The document unsealed by the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleged that Saab cooperated with agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a confidential source about criminal activity. The US alleged that Saab forfeited money to the United States and DEA as part of an agreement to "self-surrender."
Saab allegedly shared information with DEA that he paid bribes and engaged in other crimes, the document said. In light of that fact, the US government expressed concerns over Saab's safety if he returned to Venezuela, the document added.
However, US District Judge Robert Scola said Saab refused to accept an offer from the US government to assist his family leave Venezuela.
"The defendant could not proffer any particularized threats against the defendant's family, which may outweigh the public's right to access these records," Scola said.
Saab was extradited to the United States from Cape Verde in October 2021. He pleaded not guilty to charges of engaging in financial crimes related to violations of US sanctions against Iran. The US government dropped the most serious charges of money laundering against Saab.
Saab had been detained in Cape Verde in June 2020 on a US extradition warrant. Saab was en route to Iran on a humanitarian mission for the Venezuelan government when he was arrested during a fuel stop.
The Venezuelan government has said Saab was kidnapped by the US government and vowed to seek help from international organizations to release the diplomat.
As the Cape Verde court was set to rule to extradite Saab last summer, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department, N.T. Lakhonin, condemned the diplomat's detention which he said could set a harmful precedent. He warned that the desire of US authorities to extradite a third-country diplomat may have a "boomerang effect" and a negative impact on international relations.
