SEVERAL AMICUS CURIAE BRIEFS SEEK TO SUPPORT ALEX SAAB MORAN'S DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY APPEAL

We note that there have now been a half dozen Amicus Curiae briefs filed on behalf of the accused Colombian money launderer's Eleventh Circuit appeal of the District Court denial of his motion to dismiss the indictment on the grounds of diplomatic immunity. While such "Friend of the Court" briefs are to be expected in U.S. Supreme Court cases,seeing such a large number of them in one filed in a Circuit Court of Appeal is unusual.

Of course, given the obviously huge effort made by the Government of Venezuela to advocate on behalf of an individual alleged to be the personal money launderer for President Nicolas Maduro, and other senior officials, it should have been expected. One look at the massive pro-Saab propaganda playing out on the Internet, and the African ECOWAS case, it is not surprising that Saab's American attorneys have pulled out all the stops and retained third parties to contribute their positions, all of which assert that Saab is a legitimate diplomat who was on a bona fide mission for Venezuela.

Any objective observer can see that Saab did not qualify as a properly credentialed and recognized diplomat under the requirements of the Vienna Convention, even after Venezuela's forged backdating of his appointment. The District Court ruling, which was based upon the law and the facts, was correct. If the 11th Circuit rules in his favor, such a decision could result in other bogus career criminal efforts to avoid accountability for financial crime.