Saab Appointment – By Algernon Watts
Saab Appointment Faces Fresh
Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s defence of the government’s decision to appoint Alex Saab as an economic envoy and issue him a diplomatic passport has renewed questions about the checks conducted before the appointment.
Browne maintained that Saab’s appointment was legitimate at the time, arguing that governments sometimes appoint individuals who later ‘turn out to be crooks’. However, public records from Ecuador present a more complicated timeline.
Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office began investigating transactions involving Foglocons, a company later linked to Saab and his business partner, Álvaro Pulido, in June 2013.
Charges were filed against company representatives and shareholders in November 2013, and a judge ordered the freezing of US$57 million connected to the investigation. The case was nullified in July 2014, and that decision was upheld on appeal in September. However, the freeze on the funds remained in place.
Saab received his Antigua and Barbuda diplomatic passport on 18 November 2014, approximately two months after the appeal ruling and almost a year after the funds were initially frozen.
The available records do not show that Saab was personally charged in the 2013 Ecuadorian case. Nevertheless, the investigation and the allegations surrounding a company connected to his business network were already part of the public record.
Browne has said the appointment was linked to proposed trade and investment opportunities involving Venezuela. He said then-minister Michael Browne visited Saab’s housing operation in Venezuela and subsequently reported positively to Cabinet.
The issue is whether the Ecuadorian investigation was identified and properly assessed before Saab was granted diplomatic status. Observer Media has sought clarification on the due diligence conducted before the appointment and whether the government was aware of the Ecuadorian proceedings.
