US drops 7 of 8 charges against Alex Saab as part of extradition agreement

A Florida judge dropped seven of the eight money laundering charges against Colombian businessman Alex Saab, the Maduro regime alleged frontman, on Monday.

Saab is accused of laundering $350m out of Venezuela, part of a bribery scheme linked to the Venezuelan regime. Saab was detained in mid-2020 in Cape Verde and was extradited to the US on October 16 of this year.

The U.S. Prosecutor’s Office requested that seven charges against the Colombian be dismissed to comply with the agreement reached with the authorities of Cape Verde.

Prosecutors promised Cape Verde authorities to charge Saab on a single count to comply with the country’s maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Saab continues to be charged with money laundering, according to his court file. For this charge, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison in the United States.

The judge in the case, Robert N. Scola, accepted the Prosecutor’s request. He also agreed to postpone Saab’s hearing scheduled for this Monday until November 15.

Saab’s lawyers said they hope to meet with their client for the first time this week. Saab had been in mandatory quarantine upon his arrival, AP’s Joshua Goodman reported.

One of Saab’s lawyers, Henry Bell, confirmed that Saab planned to plead not guilty in his next session.