Maduro Financier Faces Extradition to U.S. After New Ruling

Cape Verde court rules Alex Saab must be sent to U.S.
West African court ordered two days ago that Saab be freed

Graffiti that reads in Spanish "Freedom For The Diplomat Alex Saab" in Caracas, on Feb. 4.Photographer: Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg

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By Ben Bartenstein, Katarina Hoije, and Henrique Almeida

March 17, 2021 at 3:48 PM UTC

Updated on

March 18, 2021 at 10:16 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

A court in Cape Verde granted a U.S. request to extradite Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman close to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The ruling comes two days after a regional court in Nigeria ordered the authorities in Cape Verde, an Atlantic Ocean island nation, to free Saab and halt extradition proceedings.