Los Angeles defense attorney’s family eyvin hernandez, detained since March 2022 in Venezuela, told EFE on Monday that he is unaware of the alleged plans for a possible exchange for Alex Saab, the alleged figurehead of Nicolás Maduro. The Colombian businessman is detained in Miami, accused of money laundering.
His brother Henry Hernández specified that the government of President Joe Biden has not told them “anything” about the possibility of the exchange that the magazine spoke of. Newsweek last week, citing a letter that the detainee sent to the White House.
Arrest of Eyvin Hernández
Hernández, 44, who works as a Los Angeles County defense attorney, is in a Caracas jail. He was detained near the border between Táchira (Venezuela) and Norte de Santander (Colombia) at the end of March last year.
The lawyer’s family maintains that Hernández crossed the border by “mistake” Venezuelan when she was on vacation in Colombia.
Newsweek He said that in the letter sent by Hernández to the Biden Administration “he suggested that not only he would be released in exchange for Saab, but other US citizens detained in Venezuela. Among the names are those of Jerrel Kenemore, Jason Saad and Joseph Cristella, they might as well be released.”
Hernández was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States as a child, along with his parents, and acquired US citizenship.
The magazine, which confirmed the authenticity of the letter, ensures that Hernández’s family knows about the possibility of an exchange with Saab. However, his brother denied this Sunday having any knowledge of the case.
The family has been in contact once or twice a week with Hernández since his arrest. They did not clarify the state of health of the lawyer and his brother limited himself to saying that “he is alive.”
Arrest of Alex Saab
Saab, 51, has been detained in Miami since October 2021 when he was extradited from Cape Verde. He is charged with one count of money laundering that carries about 20 years in prison if convicted.
Last December, a federal judge in Miami denied Saab’s defense request to dismiss the case on the grounds that he enjoyed “diplomatic immunity,” a decision his defense appealed.