Cape Verde’s top court approves Maduro’s extradition to the United States

PRAIA, Sept. 7 (Reuters) – Cape Verde’s top court ruled on Tuesday that Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman wanted by US authorities for money laundering charges on behalf of the Venezuelan government, should be extradited to the United States.

Saab, which is close to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, was arrested in Cape Verde in June 2020 when his plane stopped there to refuel. He faces extradition to the United States, which accuses him of violating U.S. sanctions.

Saab’s lawyers have called American charges “politically motivated.”

A West African regional court ruled in March that Saab’s arrest was illegal because a red Interpol notice requesting his arrest was only issued the day after his arrest.

However, the Cape Verde Constitutional Court rejected the jurisdiction of the West African court in the case and, in a written judgment, upheld the lower court’s ruling that Saab’s extradition.

The decision of the constitutional court cannot be appealed.

At the time of his arrest, Saab was heading to Iran to negotiate fuel shipments and humanitarian supplies to Venezuela, his lawyers told Reuters.

Saab has been repeatedly identified by the U.S. State Department as an operator that helps Maduro organize trade deals that Washington intends to block through sanctions.

Report by Julio Rodrigues; Written by Aaron Ross; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler

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