Cape Verde to Extradite Saab to US in Venezuela Money Laundering Case
HAVANA TIMES – An alleged money launderer and confidant of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was recently arrested in Cape Verde, will be extradited to the United States, reported dpa news on Tuesday.
Alex Saab was arrested in mid-June when making a stopover in Cape Verde – an island nation off Africa’s West Coast – to refuel his private plane, according to newspaper A Nacao.
A Cape Verde appeals court ruled that Saab should be extradited to be tried in the US, where he is accused of eight crimes, the article said, quoting news agency Inforpress.
The charges against Saab include conspiracy to commit money laundering as well as seven related money laundering and fraud charges involving hundreds of millions of dollars.
The battle for Saab’s extradition had become a tug of war between Venezuela and the US, making global headlines.
Saab, a Colombian national, has had close ties to the Venezuelan government for several years, playing a major role in Venezuela’s attempts to circumvent US sanctions to get food and fuel.
The US Departament of Justice, even under Trump bootlicker Pompeo, can get anybody they want almost (Edward Snowden comes to mind) anywhere in the world. It always surprises me when these would-be international rogues think that they will escape the very long reach of the US justice system.