Saab’s Legal Team Appeals To Joe Biden, Others Over his Continued Detention

The Legal team of Venezuelan diplomat, Alex Saab, who has been under house arrest since June last year over alleged money laundering have appealed to U.S President, Joe Biden and highly placed inviduduals to stand up for rule of law or allow politically motivated extraterritorial Judicial to rule.

Saab’s legal counsels made the plea following continued disobedient to court rulings for the fourth time consecutively which gave the businessman ‘a defined freedom’ as against what Saab is subjected to by Cape Verden government.

Lead legal counsel to Saab, Jose-Manual Monteiro, described continued detention of his client as an attempt to deliberately hinder the legal process despite court orders. 

“The lawyers in question had all the necessary immigration and health certification to be permitted to legally 
enter Cape Verde. All of these were checked before they boarded the flight. Ambassador Saab is clearing being denied his right to defend himself,” he noted. 

The legal team also demanded that the voices of Cape Verde’s European champions make themselves heard and condemn this “dictatorial and authoritarian” behaviour. 

The team challenged Luxembourg, the largest investor in Cape Verde, and Portugal, the former colonial master which has been usurped in that role, and the US State Department under the Biden administration, to “stand up for the rule of law or allow politically motivated extraterritorial 
judicial overreach to rule as it did under President Trump.” 

Saab’s team added that the contempt for due process and civilised behaviour by Cape Verde is disgraceful and must stop immediately.

Saab has been denied access to members of his lawyers despite orders by competent courts of law granting him the right to do so. 

Two of the verdicts are from the Barlavento Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Justice in Cape Verde while the third is a binding ruling from the ECOWAS Court of Justice. 

The first ruling from the Barlavento Court of Appeal was on 21 January 2021 when it ruled that Saab may not contact anyone apart from the lawyers who are representing 
him. 

In another decision by the same Court dated 29 January 2021, it ruled that Saab may receive regular visits from his lawyers for a period or up to 3 
hours. 

Also, on 20 February 2021, the Supreme Court of Justice ruled that the house arrest of Saab does not limit freedom and movement adding that the “current 
actions of Cape Verde violate all legal norms, international and domestic court orders.”

On Monday, two members of Saab’s defence were prevented by the Police Officers to see him.

Recall that, Saab was apprehended and detained in Cape Verde on the order of Donald Trump led United States during a stop over on his way to Iran over alleged money laundering, a move the Venezuelan government condemned with claims that the businessman is its special envoy on a humanitarian mission.

Reports from Venezuelan government shows that, Saab had been on a mission to get food and medical supplies in Iran, stopping over in Cape Verde where he was arrested by security operatives.