Maduro frontman Alex Saab: my family is in danger in Venezuela

Neil Schuster, the lawyer of the Colombian businessman alleged to be Nicolás Maduro's frontman, Alex Saab, claimed on Wednesday during a hearing in the United States that the Venezuelan president is prohibiting his client's family from leaving the country.

Saab "has five children, some of whom are minors, and he has a wife there (in Venezuela), and they are basically under the control of the government," reads the official transcript of the hearing shared by Infobae.

At the hearing, the public was temporarily barred from the courtroom while the two sides argued over whether the two documents submitted by prosecutors nearly a year ago should be disclosed or remain sealed.

"Please, your honor, do not open seals 25 and 26. If your honor were to do so, I believe there would be physical and judicial reprisals. Please, your honor. Please reconsider that," Schuster pleaded with Judge Robert Scola.

"I can tell the Tribunal that, based on my knowledge of past situations, if the Venezuelan government learns the extent of what this individual has provided, I do not doubt that there will be retaliation against his wife and children," added Schuster.

However, the judge refused to reconsider his decision and allowed the publication of the documents handed over by prosecutors when Saab was fighting his extradition from Cape Verde.

According to the documents, the Colombian held conversations with DEA agents and collaborated by providing information about the bribes he paid to Venezuelan officials.

Saab lost almost $10 million as part of his cooperation agreement with the United States, including several meetings with U.S. representatives in Colombia and Europe.

Saab was removed as a collaborator after failing to meet the May 30, 2019, deadline to turn himself in.

In rejecting Saab's request to keep the documents sealed, the judge confirmed that the public's right to access criminal proceedings outweighs concerns about his family's safety.

"Although the defendant argued that his family may be in danger in Venezuela, these matters have been sealed for almost a year and the defendant was unable to present any efforts the family has made to leave Venezuela and has not even accepted an offer from the Government to help them leave Venezuela," Scola stated in his order.