Maduro ally Saab appeals U.S. court ruling on diplomatic immunity

By Brian Ellsworth

MIAMI (Reuters) - Colombian businessman Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has appealed a court ruling in which a U.S. judge said Saab failed to prove he had diplomatic immunity, according to a court document filed on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Robert Scola in Miami on Friday denied a motion to dismiss a money laundering charge against him.

His lawyers had argued he was on a diplomatic mission for Venezuela's government to Iran to buy fuel and humanitarian supplies when he was arrested in 2020 in Cape Verde.

"Notice is hereby given that ALEX NAIN SAAB MORAN, Defendant in the above-named case, hereby appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit the Final Order on the Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment," the filing states.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in May declined to rule on the issue of Saab's diplomatic immunity, saying it should first be taken up at the circuit court level. [L2N2WU1SM]

Prosecutors say Saab siphoned off some $350 million from Venezuela via the United States in a scheme that involved bribing Venezuelan government officials.

Saab, who is in a Miami jail awaiting trial, denies the charge.

(Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; editing by Diane Craft)