Álex Saab, Maduro’s alleged biggest front man, pleads not guilty of money laundering in the US

The Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab, alleged front man of the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, pleaded this Monday in a US federal court not guilty of a charge of money laundering.

In a brief hearing of about 15 minutes held today at a Miami federal court before the magistrate Robert N. Scola Jr., on the occasion of the formal reading of charges, the defense insisted that Saab, 49, is a Venezuelan diplomat with immunity.

After more than a year of arrest in Cape Verde, Saab was extradited to the United States on October 16 to respond to a money laundering case related to the Local Supply and Production Committees of Venezuela (CLAP), a system created by President Nicolás Maduro in 2016 and that the Department The US Treasury claims to be a scheme for the businessman to obtain “substantial profits.”

Saab, who appeared in beige overalls, faces a sentence of about 20 years if found guilty of the only count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, a sentence that can be reduced if it reaches an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office, which usually includes denunciation of other accomplices.

Two weeks ago, Judge Scola, who will continue to lead this case, dismissed seven counts of money laundering against the defendant.

The reduction of charges was part of the extradition agreement with the Government of Cape Verde so that, in case he is found guilty, the sentence does not exceed the one he would have had in that African country.

Today’s hearing was open to the press, as requested by the Prosecutor’s Office under the argument that the case is in the “public interest”, and after the defense of Saab ask that access to the media be limited to prevent photos of the accused from being taken, as occurred in the first hearing held on October 18.

As part of the motion, Saab had attached an annex with the list of people and media that allegedly violated Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, which prohibits the taking and dissemination of images obtained during hearings in the Southern District of Florida, and requested an investigation.

In response to this, last week, Judge Scola ordered the United States Attorney’s Office to investigate the media that illegally took and published photos at said hearing held by Zoom.

Scola stressed that he will not limit online hearings as requested by the defense, but said that he has the “intention” to hold the next court hearings in person to avoid these problems and taking into account that the incidence of the pandemic has dropped in Florida.

In this way, the judge specified in a ruling to which Efe had access that “it grants in part and denies in part” the motion presented by Saab regarding the images taken, which were later published in the media and social networks despite the fact that it is illegal.

______________________________