Cape Verde: house arrest for a relative of the Venezuelan president demanded by Washington

Colombian businessman Alex Saab, close to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, will be placed under house arrest in Cape Verde, where he has appealed to the Supreme Court against his extradition to the United States, announced Thursday, January 21 his lawyers.

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Cape Verdean justice

of the 49-year-old businessman claimed by Washington for money laundering, his defense said in a statement.

According to this press release, Alex Saab is in

and

(...)

.

Alex Saab, 49, is accused by the United States of pulling the strings of a vast network which allowed the socialist leader Nicolás Maduro and his regime to divert food aid to Venezuela for their benefit.

Indicted in July 2019 in Miami for money laundering, he was finally arrested during a technical stop on his plane in Cape Verde in mid-June 2020. On January 4, Cape Verdean justice confirmed on appeal. extradition of the businessman, authorized at first instance in August.

The businessman appealed to the Supreme Court.

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With his partner Alvaro Pulido, also indicted for money laundering, Alex Saab is said to have transferred 350 million dollars (285 million euros) outside Venezuela to foreign accounts they owned or controlled.

The two men face up to twenty years in prison.

The Venezuelan opposition describes Alex Saab as a

of the power of Nicolás Maduro.

Caracas, which granted Alex Saab Venezuelan nationality and the diplomatic title of

, considers his detention on the African archipelago as

.

The Cape Verdean public prosecutor confirmed in a statement that

had been granted to Alex Saab, while specifying that the request for his extradition by the United States

.