The Department of Justice argues the Maduro associate is trying to challenge the federal money-laundering charge against him without ever stepping foot in a U.S. courtroom. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks to supporters from a balcony at the presidential palace in Caracas on Jan. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) (CN) — Prosecutors are urging a federal judge to preserve the fugitive status of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s associate Alex Saab in hopes of completing his extradition from Africa on a money-laundering charge. Saab, a wealthy Venezuelan businessman, was detained in the West African nation of Cape Verde in June 2020 on an extradition request from the U.S. Department of Justice.