The statement signed by Falana emphasizes that the consequence of this sentence “is the validation of the purely arbitrary detention of a foreign diplomat, deprived of all rights and guarantees, at the hands of Cape Verdean police officers.”
In that sense, Saab’s defense insists that human rights, judicial guarantees and the principle of diplomatic immunity, among others, were “decomposed and annihilated by those who obviously serve a political purpose.”
“Without a doubt, the Constitutional Court will have played the political role required of it, but this political move required the sacrifice of the Constitution,” summarizes the statement. In another passage of the letter, Saab’s defense delves into the fact that having accepted the US request despite legal impediments represents “an important moment in the constitutional history of this small African country because it symbolizes the atoning death of the rule of law so dear to Cape Verdeans, in the service of purely political interests according to an agenda dictated by Washington.”
