US in 'violation' of Saab's 'diplomatic immunity' rules Venezuelan TSJ

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 May 2023 12:04
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Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice declares that authorities of the US are in "flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and, in general, of International Law" as they continue to illegally detain Venezuelan diplomat Alex Naim Saab Morán.

Camilla Fabri, wife of Colombian businessman Alex Saab, speaks during a demonstration demanding his release, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. (AP)

While the collective West continues to turn a blind eye toward the case of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Naim Saab Morán, and as Western media are barely covering the story, the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) declared his detention by US forces as a "violation" of his "diplomatic immunity".

The United States brought Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab to trial in a federal court in Miami, Florida following his illegal arrest and extradition in 2020.

The Constitutional Chamber, the highest court of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, “evidenced the flagrant violations of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and, in general, of International Law, mainly by the authorities of the United States of America and Cape Verde, when determining the illegitimate detention and prosecution” of Saab, who was designated, by the Venezuelan authorities, as a “special envoy for humanitarian affairs”.

In that context, the press release of the TSJ also noted that the court decision has "declared the amparo action filed by Camilla Fabri, wife of Venezuelan citizen Alex Nain Saab Morán, admissible, against his illegal detention, as he enjoys the privileges and immunities inherent to his investiture."

This statement came in contrast to the court ruling by the US federal court, announced on 24 December 2022, which has rejected the plea for urging to consider Saab's diplomatic immunity.

Activists protested outside the US Federal Courthouse in #Miami on Monday in solidarity with Venezuelan diplomat #AlexSaab, who is illegally imprisoned in the US. The defense attorneys argued that Saab is indeed a #Venezuelan diplomat, thus, the case must be dismissed. pic.twitter.com/sTuLpR7ME7
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 13, 2022

Following the court ruling, the TSJ urged the Venezuelan President, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to continue with “the actions tending to demand that the authorities of the United States of America proceed to the immediate observance and application of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, other treaties and international instruments applicable to the foreign service.”

The TSJ grounded the ruling even further by citing a precedent dating back to the 25th of July, 2014. The press release underscored "a similar sentence that determined the immediate release of the person who at the time was serving as Consul General of the Republic, in the face of a similar detention, which also temporarily violated international standards on prerogatives inherent to foreign service officials."

Economic sanctions and Saab's arrest

It is worth reminding that Jonathan New, one of Saab's defense attorneys, opened the court session back in December 2022 with the argument that the arrest of Saab came in the context of the US sanctions against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

He said, “Venezuela was trying to overcome years of crippling economic sanctions placed upon it by the United States,” adding, “It was under these circumstances that President Nicolas Maduro appointed Alex Saab as a special envoy to undertake missions to Iran to access secure food, medicine and fuel for Venezuela.”

The #UnitedStates has brought #Venezuelan diplomat #AlexSaab to trial in a federal court in Miami, #Florida, where Saab's lawyers submitted official Venezuelan documents to establish his diplomatic immunity. pic.twitter.com/A8DF9B0Wc4
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 15, 2022

Moreover, the December 12 trial revealed, as reported by The Grayzone, that when arrested, Saab was in possession of private and sealed letters from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to Iran’s Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei. However, authorities in Praia, Cape Verde, where he was initially apprehended, had opened the official and secret government communications, as revealed by the trial, when Saab was arrested in June of 2020.

According to The Grayzone "The US Department of Justice has accused the Venezuelan diplomat of conspiracy to commit money laundering, painting him as a corrupt business asset of a socialist government Washington aims to topple."

Also, following his extradition in 2021, the US Justice Department noted that Saab has been "charged in an indictment with laundering the proceeds of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a scheme to pay bribes to take advantage of Venezuela’s government-controlled exchange rate."

Venezuela's Foreign Minister, Carlos Faría, condemned on September 22 of 2022, the "kidnapping of the Venezuelan special envoy," which he described the incident as "a crime that violates international law."