Three Republican senators are demanding the Justice Department fork over the investigative file on Alex Saab, a man who had allegedly been a top financial intermediary between Venezuela and Iran.
President Biden granted Saab, 52, clemency in December as part of a broader prisoner swap that procured the release of 10 Americans. Prior to his pardon, Saab had been set to stand trial for money laundering charges.
“Saab remains an unrepentant criminal who, within days of his release from US custody, launched a propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting our country and American judiciary and law enforcement professionals,” Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and James Risch (R-Idaho) wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“The State Department has described Saab as ‘one of the two most important money [men] in the Maduro government,’ and ‘the middle man’ between Nicolas Maduro’s narcoterrorist regime and Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” the senators wrote noting his alleged efforts to skirt Iranian sanctions.
Upon his release, Saab was welcomed back by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and alleged that he was tortured while waiting for extradition.
Nicolás Maduro welcomed Alex Saab back as a hero. AFP via Getty Images
Saab, a Columbian-born businessman, had been indicted in 2019 by Bogota’s Office of the Attorney General following a lengthy investigation but ultimately missed his surrender date.
American prosecutors later alleged that he funneled some $350 million from Venezuela to the US and took part in a bribery scheme involving an affordable housing contract.
Authorities nabbed him during a fueling stop in Cape Verde and extradited him to the US in 2020.
The Republican trio called for transparency on the matter and demanded the investigative file by Feb. 7.
Marco Rubio flanked by Lisa Murkowski and Chuck Grassley. EPA
“Court filings disclose that Saab confessed to a serious criminal conduct [sic],” they went on. “The [US] closed the case against Alex Saab … there is no basis for withholding the evidence against Saab from the American public.”
Of particular interest appears to be Saab’s “confession.” He allegedly had meetings with the Drug Enforcement Administration before his apprehension.
In 2022, his legal team alleged that he assisted US authorities in unraveling corruption in Maduro’s orbit, the Associated Press reported. Saab has denied this.
James Risch is the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. EPA
The Justice Department declined to comment.
Biden green-lit the release of Saab and Leonard Francis, nicknamed “Fat Leonard” for his 350-pound girth, last month. That deal was inked shortly after the Biden administration clawed back Trump-era sanctions.
As part of the deal, Venezuela released 10 American prisoners and agreed to set free 21 of the country’s jailed opposition politicians.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2024/01/25/news/gop-senators-demand-info-on-pardon-of-maduro-fixer-alex-saab/