Practicing law in Colombia must be quite a conversation starter, right? Just look at Señor de la Espriella, who claims to be a lawyer for the stars; he even owns a jet! Is he wealthy by birth? I mean, how does one maintain such an extravagant lifestyle solely through law? Or could it be that this man shares some traits with his clients?
In October 2013, de la Espriella addressed Armando Neira, the editor of Revista Semana. He was concerned about an article written by Fanny Kertzman and me, which resulted from an extensive investigation into Alex Saab, purportedly an entrepreneur from Barranquilla. Saab went from textiles and bankruptcy to signing agreements with the regime of Hugo Chavez for over 500 million dollars to construct social housing, stadiums, and shopping centers in Venezuela.
When we began investigating Saab, the recurring question was: how can someone with no experience and a shell company registered just four days prior secure that many contracts in Venezuela? Obviously, Hugo Chavez didn’t ask himself that question, nor did Juan Manuel Santos, Nicolas Maduro, or Maria Angela Holguín—all of whom were present at that event where the so-called bilateral agreements were signed. We dug deeper and quickly found the answer: Alex Saab was the protégé of Piedad Córdoba, who guided him to Palacio de Miraflores to conduct business with Chavez and Maduro.
These are Saab’s credentials: friend, protégé, and eventually the financier for Piedad Córdoba. We also obtained flight records for the jets Saab used, which Córdoba frequently traveled on. That’s how fortunes are made in chavismo: rampant nepotism and high-level corruption.
Saab didn’t stop at construction; he even entered the banking sector, can you imagine? This was to launder stolen money without raising suspicion. He then became involved in the food importation business (CLAP), always thanks to Maduro and his intermediary Williams Amaro, through whom he buys subpar products and sells them as top-quality goods.
Next, he ventured into the energy sector. From printing t-shirts to almost becoming a partner of Trafigura and Schlumberger, and securing the largest oil concession in the Orinoco Belt, he was a real prospect—if only those multinational companies hadn’t refused to do business with someone with such a reputation. To achieve this, Saab invested money into Trenaco of Colombia and partnered with Carlos Alberto Gutierrez Robayo, brother-in-law of Gustavo Petro. In those dealings, he utilized a Venezuelan businessman named Jean Paul Rivas as a representative. So close, yet so far.
In a conversation with US federal agents, someone mentioned to me, “Alex Saab? We’ve been tracking him and his lawyer for quite some time.” The news from yesterday regarding investigations in the US and Israel and potential links to international terrorism only serves to reaffirm what has long been public knowledge: Saab, along with his associate German Rubio (alias Alvaro Pulido Vargas) and benefactor Córdoba, reek of corruption and terrorism. Just ask Galo Chiriboga how his dealings with Saab and his associates ended up. Nobody becomes that wealthy in such a short time and legally.
In his communication to Neira, de la Espriella made a series of defamatory statements against Fanny Kertzman and me, quite similar to the recent claims against those currently investigating his client. When pressed about the documentation and/or evidence supporting such irresponsible words, the lawyer has chosen to remain silent. It seems Señor de la Espriella cares little for his reputation.
As for Saab, his “star” client, the noose is tightening. We shall see if he can escape criminal investigations in different countries with defenses like de la Espriella’s, who only seems to know how to hurl baseless accusations.