China News Service, October 18th. According to a report by Russian Satellite Network, Venezuelan President Maduro stated on the 17th that the Venezuelan government will file a complaint with an international organization over the “kidnapping” of the country’s diplomat Alex Sabo.
Saab was arrested during a technical stop in Cape Verde in June 2020. He was extradited to the United States on the 16th of this month and will appear in court in the United States on the 18th.
Data map: Venezuelan President Maduro waving the national flag.
Maduro stated on the Venezuelan national television program that Saab was taken away without an arrest warrant.
This is "kidnapping", a "serious crime" that violates international and diplomatic laws and the global norms for the protection of diplomats.
Maduro also stated that he must prosecute this serious crime to international agencies and continue to "fight" with the United States.
Maduro reminded that Saab was extradited to the United States on the 16th, which has caused the Venezuelan government to suspend dialogue with the opposition in Mexico City.
Venezuela issued a government bulletin on the 16th, stating that the Venezuelan government’s special envoy Sabo was “illegally extradited” to the United States on the same day, and Venezuela strongly condemned this.
Maduro also stated that the United States "kidnapped" Saab deliberately to "stabb" in the negotiation process, because Saab was included in a negotiating delegation dedicated to the normalization of Venezuela's political situation in September.
In July 2019, Saab was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for money laundering and other crimes. In June 2020, he was arrested when he stopped in Cape Verde on his way to Iran.
Saab’s team of lawyers tried to block his extradition to the United States on the basis of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but the Constitutional Court of Cape Verde rejected the appeal of Saab’s lawyers in September this year and approved his extradition to the United States.
Reuters reported that a spokesperson for the US Department of Justice confirmed Saab's extradition and said he is expected to appear in court for the Southern District of Florida for the first time on the 18th.