Venezuela names US fugitive to team negotiating with foes

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is seeking to add to a new member to his team negotiating in Mexico with his political opponents — an ally jailed in Cape Verde awaiting extradition to the U.S. on money laundering charges.

Alex Saab will be incorporated into the government delegation immediately, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, who heads Venezuela's team, announced Tuesday on Venezuela's state television.

Saab's appointment is unlikely to have any immediate impact on his legal troubles. A week ago, Cape Verde's Constitutional Court voted unanimously to reject his appeal of an earlier court ruling approving his extradition to face federal charges in Miami

But the Maduro government's decision to redouble its embrace of the fugitive is likely to hang over dialogue efforts that already faced huge obstacles after years of bitter street fighting in Venezuela.

There was no immediate comment from Venezuela’s opposition.

Saab, a businessman originally from Colombia, was arrested in June 2020 when his private jet made a refueling stop in Cape Verde en route to Iran on what the Venezuelan government has described as a humanitarian mission.

U.S. officials believe he holds numerous secrets about how Maduro, the president’s family and his top aides allegedly siphoned off millions of dollars in government contracts amid widespread hunger in oil-rich Venezuela.

Maduro's government has protested his arrest as illegal, claiming Saab was a diplomatic envoy and therefore possesses immunity from prosecution while on an official mission.

The talks that began a month ago in Mexico are aimed at resolving the South American country's longstanding political dispute. The sessions are being sponsored by Norway, with Russia and the Netherlands playing a supporting role.

As part of the dialogue effort, the opposition — which with U.S. backing refuses to recognize the legitimacy of Maduro's administration — has agreed to participate in regional elections scheduled for later this year.