Saab’s lawyers petition judge over difficulty in accessing Cape Verde's counter-claims in extradition appeal case

Mr. Alex Saab’s legal team in Cape Verde has accused the Secretariat of the country’s constitutional court of frustrating them in accessing the government’s counter-claims in a case seeking for a reversal of a decision taken by the apex court.

Cape Verde’s Supreme Court has given the government the green light to continue with processes that will see the Venezuelan

Read full articlediplomat extradited to the US to face criminal charges.

But Alex Saab’s defense team, led by Dr. Jose Monteiro, says that the decision by the apex court was unconstitutional.

He says that unconstitutionalities were committed throughout the judicial process and in the application of rules on the application of international law.

After the Supreme Court’s decision, Alex Saab’s defense team filed an appeal at the country’s Constitutional Court.

They are praying the court to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision.

However, Dr. Jose Monteiro says that the Secretariat of the Constitutional Court is refusing to give them a copy of the government’s response to their application.

According to him, they have been told that the "appellant must personally go to the Secretariat to examine the document."

He does not understand how the Secretariat expects them to access the government’s response as the appellant, Alex Saab, is under detention and not allowed to leave the house in which he is being kept.

“Given that Ambassador Saab is being illegally detained under the watch of armed guards and not allowed to leave the house in which he is held it’s quite how the Secretariat expects the Appellant to “personally go to…examine the document” was not explained,” he said.

Dr. Jose Monteiro says that they have reached out to the Reporting Judge of the Constitutional Court to intervene and ensure that justice is served.

"It is a fundamental right of Ambassador Saab and his defense team to be able to review the counter-claims being made by the Prosecutor General. I have written to the Honourable Reporting Judge of the Constitutional Court to seek his intervention in this matter. We hope that we shall be provided a copy of the requested document today without any further delay given that Constitutional Court notified the Parties of its intention to hold a physical hearing on the matter,” he added.