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West African court orders release of Maduro envoy in Cape Verde

Published 15/03/2021, 16:48

ABUJA, March 15 (Reuters) - A West African court on Monday
ordered Cape Verde to release Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman
who is wanted by U.S. authorities on charges of laundering money
on behalf of Venezuela's government.
Saab, who is close to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro,
was detained in Cape Verde last June when his plane stopped
there to refuel. He faces extradition to the United States,
which accuses him of violating U.S. sanctions. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court
in Nigeria's capital Abuja ruled that Saab's detention was
illegal because an Interpol red notice requesting his arrest was
only issued the day after he was detained on June 12.
It ordered Cape Verde to release Saab immediately,
compensate him $200,000 and "discontinue all proceedings and
processes aimed at extraditing (him) to the USA", a summary of
the judgement said.
The Cape Verde government could not be immediately reached
for comment.
At the time of his arrest, Saab was en route to Iran to
negotiate shipments of fuel and humanitarian supplies to
Venezuela, his lawyers told Reuters. Saab has been repeatedly identified by the U.S. State
Department as an operator who helps Maduro arrange trade deals
that Washington is seeking to block through sanctions.
The ECOWAS court in December had ordered him to be
transferred to house arrest in a hotel or house of his choice,
after his representatives argued that the conditions of his
detention were "inhumane" and that his health was deteroriating.

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