Woman in a demonstration holding a banner with Alex Saab's face and a #FreeAlexSaab slogan. Photo: RedRadioVE/File photo.
Prosecutors in the United States are seeking a second 30-day extension to respond to the appeal of diplomat Alex Saab to the ruling of a lower court in Miami suggesting that he should face a criminal trial despite his diplomatic immunity.
The information was released by the Associated Press correspondent for Latin America, Joshua Goodman, on social media. Goodman has been, since the Saab’s abduction, one of the most visible stenographers of Washington in mainstream media.
The legal document requesting the extension, published by the journalist, states that the prosecutors are asking for a 30-day extension. Therefore, if this motion is granted, the new filing deadline will be September 13.
U.S. prosecutors seek a second, 30-day extension to answer Alex Saab's appeal of a lower court ruling that he is not a Venezuelan diplomat and must face criminal trial.
If motion is granted, new filing deadline will be Sept. 13, meaning any oral hearing is unlikely for months. pic.twitter.com/8Jt0kZBQE7
— Joshua Goodman (@APjoshgoodman) August 2, 2023
The first argument for such a move is an extensive “opening brief containing 16,000 words,” the equivalent to approximately 25 pages. 16,000 words can be read in 53.3 minutes at a reading speed of 300 words per minute.
It is also stated in the document that three amici curiae, totaling 10,000 additional words, were also filed in the defense appeal, equivalent to 33.3 minutes of reading time that the busy US prosecution might not have.
Many analysts see the arbitrary detention of Saab in Cape Verde as a politically motivated kidnapping and part of the failed US “regime-change” operation to oust Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolás Maduro and a failed attempt to neutralize Venezuela’s strategy to curve illegal US and European sanctions.
“The Government needs additional time to properly investigate and respond to the claims raised by Saab,” reads the document. According to Goodman, if the September date is passed, it is unlikely that there will be an oral hearing for months.
They also claimed that the undersigned counsel (US prosecutor) “has had commitments in other cases that have prevented him from working exclusively on this appeal.”
According to the text, attorney Francisco Patiño plans to bring the extension before the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit before August 2, 2023.
Lawfare Against Venezuela: 3 Years After the Kidnapping of the Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab
“The undersigned counsel has additional litigation responsibilities, in connection with pending matters in other circuits. And adverse decisions issued against the Government in Federal District courts,” the statement added.
Last May, the Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) demonstrated the flagrant violations of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and International Law by US authorities, as the US has not recognized the legitimate appointment of Alex Saab as a Venezuelan diplomat, an appointment that occurred before his controversial detention and that several documents support.
In Saab’s defense, Venezuelan authorities have shown that Saab was appointed as a diplomat by President Nicolás Maduro to procure fuel, food, and medicines in the midst of the severe US and European blockade against Venezuela.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
