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Venezuelan government suspends negotiations with opposition By Reuters

by Mike Robinson

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© Reuters. FILEPHOTO: In support of Alex Saab’s liberation, a woman walks past a mural. She is accused of laundering money to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Julio Rodrigues and Mayela Armas

CARACAS/PRAIA –Venezuela said Saturday that it would not negotiate with the opposition. Negotiations were to resume next weekend following the extradition of Alex Saab (Colombian businessman) to Cape Verde for money laundering.

Jorge Rodriguez (Socialist Party legislator) made the announcement. He heads the government’s negotiation team. Rodriguez claimed that Venezuela’s government won’t attend talks scheduled to start on Sunday.

In September, the Venezuelan government named Saab. He was taken into custody in June 2020 after his plane stopped at Cape Verde to fuel.

In 2019, the U.S. Justice indicted Saab for bribery to profit from Venezuela’s exchange rate. He was also accused of orchestrating corruption networks that enabled Maduro and Saab to benefit from state-run food subsidies.

Rodriguez made the following statement: “By virtues of this very serious act, our delegation announces that it will suspend its participation in negotiation and dialogue. Therefore, we won’t attend the round de negotiations which should start tomorrow, Oct. 17, in Mexico City, as an expression of out deepest protest against brutal aggression against our delegate Alex Saab Moran.”

Saab lawyers called U.S. charges politically motivated.

Cape Verde radio reported Saturday’s extradition. The Cape Verde government was unavailable for comment immediately.

Although the U.S. Justice Department declined to comment immediately, the Venezuelan government stated that he was being extradited as a kidnapping.

Venezuela’s opposition leadership did not respond immediately to our request for comment.

Ivan Duque of Colombia, President, said that Saab was exonerated in a tweet (NYSE:) posted. He called it “a triumph against money laundering, drug trafficking and corruption under Nicolas Maduro’s dictatorship.”

Cape Verde’s constitutional court https://www.reuters.com/world/cape-verde-court-approves-extradition-maduro-envoy-us-2021-09-07 ruled in September after a protracted court battle that Saab should be extradited.

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