The Venezuelan government has lamented the decision of a U.S. court to reject the argument of diplomatic immunity of Alex Saab, considered the alleged front man of President Nicolás Maduro, to dismiss his indictment for money laundering, calling it «imperial arrogance».
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has pointed out that this decision «constitutes a frank and gross violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations», and at the same time «ignores the international obligations assumed by the United States» to «respect the inviolability and immunity of diplomatic agents in their transit between two States».
For Caracas, this is «a dangerous precedent in the relations between States», as well as «a new violation of the rights» of Saab, arrested in June 2020 when he was on a refueling stopover in Cape Verde, the country that approved his extradition to the United States.
In this sense, Venezuela has criticized the «imperial arrogance», the «cruelty» and the «cynicism» of the United States in choosing Christmas Eve – a date in which «the values of reconciliation and justice» are honored – to «commit yet another outrage against Venezuela and an outrage against a diplomat of the country».
Last Friday, the judge of the Southern District of Florida, Robert Scola, rejected the argument of diplomatic immunity to dismiss the charges of alleged money laundering of which Saab is accused. According to the US Justice, he would have laundered 350 million dollars (295 million euros) to pay for Maduro’s corrupt acts through the US financial system.
Judge Scola held that the status of «special envoy» wielded by Saab is «inconsequential» according to international law, since it is only a designation of the Maduro government, which appointed him as diplomatic representative before Russia and Iran to manage the purchase of food, medicines and other goods, within the framework of the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
