Venezuela on Tuesday November 7 condemned Cape Verde’s actions in authorizing, in 2021, the extradition of Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman who acted as a Venezuelan envoy, extradited to the United States, where he remains in pre-trial detention.
“In the case of Venezuelan ambassador Alex Saab, we regret and condemn the fact that [Cabo Vede] did not comply with the ruling of the court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which ordered his immediate release,” allowing “his illegal kidnapping to the United States,” said the Venezuelan representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The episode was recalled at the session of the fourth evaluation of Cape Verde, as part of the regular periodic review of human rights, during the intervention that each country has to comment on and make recommendations about the state being evaluated.
In her final speech, after listening to all the countries, Joana Rosa, Cape Verde’s Minister of Justice, responded directly to Venezuela, saying that Cape Verde is “a State governed by the rule of law”.
“There is separation of powers, there are constitutional guarantees and Cape Verde is not bound by the decisions of the ECOWAS court: we have internal laws”, she said.
In cases of extradition, there are “a series of guarantees so that the person extradited” has access to “a fair legal process, with guarantees of defense, with the last decision resting with the judicial authorities”, she explained furthermore.
“In the process of cooperation or collaboration with other countries, Cape Verde respects international law” and “in a state governed by the rule of law, it is not the government that dictates the question of extradition, it is submitted to the sieve of the judiciary, with resources and constitutional guarantees”, she added.