A U.S. judge dealt a blow on Friday to Alex Saab Moran, a Colombia-born businessman accused in a corruption scheme involving Venezuela's ruling Socialists, by rejecting his assertion of diplomatic immunity.
The judge formally denied a motion filed by lawyers representing Saab Moran, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to dismiss hison the basis of his claim he was protected from prosecution as a Venezuelan diplomat, according to a court filing.His lawyers argue Saab Moran was on a diplomatic mission for the Venezuelan government to Iran to buy fuel and humanitarian supplies when he was arrested in 2020 in Cape Verde while his plane refueled.
"If the United States, or in this case, this judge, takes that decision, which is an atrocity, no diplomat in the world will be safe from now on," he said. The court rejected the validity of a 2018 credential used by Saab Moran to claim diplomatic status, adding it was not convinced it was related to his dealings with Iran.U.S. prosecutors accuse Saab Moran of siphoning off some $350 million from Venezuela via the United States in a scheme that involved bribing Venezuelan government officials.
Reporting by Sarah Morland and Vivian Sequera; Editing by Anthony Esposito, Daniel Wallis and Edmund Klamann
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