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Three of the American ex-prisoners who were exchanged for Colombian businessman Alex Nain Saab Morán in 2023 filed a lawsuit against Nicolás Maduro in a Miami court.
Jerrel Kenemore, Edgar José Marval, and Jason Saad argue that the Venezuelan dictator held them captive under "indescribably harsh conditions" to use them in a trade, reported El Nuevo Herald, which had access to the text of the lawsuit.
The three plaintiffs were imprisoned in Venezuela for almost two years until they were finally exchanged as part of a group of ten Americans in December 2023.
“Maduro kept Mr. Kenemore, Mr. Marval, and Mr. Saad captive under indescribably harsh conditions for almost two years, during which time Maduro was responsible for their torture at the hands of his secret police,” the lawsuit document states
The lawsuit also includes the state-owned company PDVSA, Diosdado Cabello, Minister of the Interior; Vladimir Padrino López, Minister of Defense; Delcy Eloína Rodríguez, Vice President of Venezuela; Tarek William Saab, Attorney General; and Alex Saab, the current Minister of Industry.
The lawsuit, filed in August, falls under the Antiterrorism Act, which allows Americans to sue for the confiscation of the assets of foreign terrorist groups that have harmed them.
The three plaintiffs were "among the unfortunate individuals caught in Maduro's indiscriminate net of hostage-taking following the capture and legal extradition of Alex Saab to Miami," the text adds.
Kenemore, a computer scientist who moved to Bogotá in 2019, was captured in a grocery store in a border town with Venezuela in 2022 by a paramilitary group. During his captivity, he was subjected to beatings and degrading treatment.
After being handed over by his captors at the border to Venezuelan authorities, he was accused of "espionage" and "counterintelligence activities."
Marval, for his part, was "at the mercy of one of Maduro's most sadistic henchmen, an officer from the DGCIM [General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence] who brutally and repeatedly beat him, breaking his back," the text of the lawsuit states.
He was a victim of electric shocks to the genitals, psychological torture, Venezuelan military obtained his passwords, and stole his life savings from a U.S. bank.
His wife, Lady Stephanie Schulman Morris, had a house and part of two pharmacies she owned in Venezuela confiscated.
Jeweler Jason Saad moved to Colombia in 2017 and then to Venezuela. In 2022, he was kidnapped by DGCIM officials and accused of conspiring to assassinate Maduro.
"Those accusations were false. In fact, Mr. Saad had never seen the newspaper articles, the photos, the people in the photos, the vessel, or the weapons," reads the lawsuit.
He was subjected to "harsh and unhealthy conditions." During his confinement, his teeth became infected and had to be extracted.
A swap for Alex Saab
Saab was released in 2023 from a Miami jail, where he had been held since June 2020 on charges of conspiracy to launder money.
The decision was made by the United States government as part of a bilateral agreement with Venezuela, under which the Bolivarian regime committed to releasing 10 U.S. citizens detained in its territory.
The businessman, accused of money laundering in Miami and amassing a large number of contracts with Maduro's government, was arrested by Interpol in 2020 when his plane, a Bombardier Global registered in San Marino, made a stop to refuel in Cape Verde.
Saab was arrested in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and immediately the Maduro government took numerous actions to prevent his extradition to the United States.
The Colombian businessman, regarded as one of the main front men for various corruption schemes in the Venezuelan government, was a key player in agreements signed in November 2011 during a historic meeting between the then-presidents of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, and Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos.
In that meeting, Chávez sang, Santos opened the door to a peace process with the FARC, and Saab signed a social investment agreement that would later become one of the most high-profile corruption schemes in Venezuela, the BBC recalled.
Saab, originally from Barranquilla and of Lebanese descent, was involved in chavista projects, such as the importation of materials for the Great Housing Mission.
Regarding this program, U.S. authorities allege that the homes were either not built or constructed at inflated costs, and Saab received large amounts of money that did not correspond to the delivery of products.
Subsequently, Saab became one of the contractors for the Venezuelan government under the Local Supply and Production Committees (CLAP), responsible for the import and distribution of basic food items in Venezuela. Journalistic investigations uncovered million-dollar contracts and allegations of money laundering in this context.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed charges against Saab in July 2019, accusing him of laundering up to $350 million through the Venezuelan foreign exchange control system. He was said to have used a network of shell companies in various countries to hide the illicit earnings from contracts for food imports.
It was recently revealed that Saab collaborated for over a year with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Saab agreed to be an "active source" for the DEA and later confessed to paying bribes to Venezuelan officials, U.S. prosecutors said in a court filing.
In 2019, they told him that he would face criminal charges if he did not voluntarily surrender, according to the records.
After his release, he has reintegrated into the chavista leadership, serving as Minister of Industry since 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Lawsuit by Former U.S. Prisoners against Maduro
Why are former American prisoners suing Nicolás Maduro?
American ex-prisoners sue Nicolás Maduro for having kept them captive in "indescribably harsh" conditions to use them in a prisoner swap. They allege that they were tortured by the Venezuelan secret police under Maduro's responsibility.
How was the prisoner exchange for Alex Saab carried out?
The prisoner exchange took place as part of a bilateral agreement between the United States and Venezuela, where Alex Saab, accused of money laundering, was released in exchange for the release of ten American citizens detained in Venezuela.
What legal implications does the lawsuit filed against Maduro have?
The lawsuit is filed under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act, which allows U.S. citizens to sue for the seizure of assets from foreign terrorist groups that have harmed them. This could increase international pressure and sanctions against the Maduro regime.
Who else is involved in the lawsuit against Maduro?
In addition to Nicolás Maduro, the lawsuit includes several high-ranking officials of the Venezuelan government, such as Diosdado Cabello, Vladimir Padrino López, Delcy Rodríguez, Tarek William Saab, and Alex Saab, the current Minister of Industry.
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