Colombian businessman Alex Saab speaks at a joint press conference with the President of the National Assembly (AN) of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, in Caracas, Venezuela, today. This Thursday, the Venezuelan government included in its delegation for negotiations with the opposition the Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who was released on Wednesday in the United States after 1,286 days in prison for conspiracy to launder money.
Photo: EFE – RAYNER PENA R
Before his release this Wednesday, Alex Saab received a presidential pardon from Joe Biden. The document published this Friday by AP News journalist Joshua Goodman sets out the conditions under which Saab was able to leave prison and return to Venezuela, where he was received with honor by President Nicolás Maduro.
📝 We suggest: This is how the trials of Álex Saab, Nicolás Maduro's designated frontman, go
Here is President Biden's pardon that released Alex Saab.
Key terms:
-No refund of the $12 million he forfeited to the DEA
-Applies to a single case, so Saab can theoretically be charged with food trafficking in a separate case in 2021 in which he is “co-conspirator 1”.
-No book deal/Netflix series pic.twitter.com/wbe9ucknVQ— Joshua Goodman (@APjoshgoodman) December 22, 2023
The presidential pardon document was signed on December 15, five days before the announcement of the prisoner exchange agreement between Venezuela and the United States. This made it possible to release not only Saab, who was accused of conspiracy to launder money, but also 10 Americans and 20 Venezuelans who were imprisoned in the South American country.
A presidential pardon “releases the offender from all penalties, penalties and disabilities arising directly from the conviction, provided that no rights have been conferred on a third party as a result of the sentence,” according to the US Justice Department.
The conditions for the release of the alleged figurehead of Nicolás Maduro are 6. They stipulate that Saab must leave the United States and remain outside US borders, its territories and possessions. In addition, he may not “commit another crime against the United States or in violation of” its laws.
📌You might be interested in: Release of Álex Saab: Background to the US giving up a key piece
The businessman will not be able to take legal action against the country as well as its “agents, officials and employees”. He will also no longer be able to own real estate in the country and will have to transfer it to the US government.
The last point states: “You will not receive any financial benefit, direct or indirect, in any amount whatsoever, from any book, film or other publication or production, in any form or medium whatsoever, through your Accept or receive situation.” If you violate any of the conditions, the pardon will expire completely.
📰 We also recommend: “The connection of this injustice is broken”: Reactions to the release of Alex Saab
The Saab case sparked criticism from lawyers and foreign policy experts. According to them, this could create a false equality between Americans who have been unjustly imprisoned abroad and people of other nationalities who have been properly prosecuted and convicted in courts in the United States.
Juan Cruz, who oversaw White House relations with Latin America on the US Security Council, assures that the decision to pardon the president is a “bad precedent” because “normally we would have to wait for a defendant to be found guilty. “So we can pardon him for a deal,” he told AP News. This is because the pardon does not mean that the court's conviction is overturned, but rather that it releases the person from the punishment he received for that conviction.
With Biden's presidential pardon, Saab was able to return to Venezuela, where he is viewed as a diplomat by Nicolás Maduro's government. However, some parts of the opposition said that they “cannot support” his return in any way, since the businessman is a “criminal” and is also responsible for the situation in Venezuela.
👀🌎📄 Have you already heard the latest news from the world? We invite you to see them in El Espectador.