U.S. court hears testimony on diplomatic status of ally of Venezuela's Maduro

FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator of the "Free Alex Saab" movement holds a sign in a caravan demanding the release of Saab, a Colombian businessman with Venezuelan ties and who was extradited to the U.S. on a charge of money laundering, in Caracas, Venezuela August 18, 2022. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.S. court on Monday began hearing testimony from Venezuelan officials on the diplomatic status of Alex Saab, an ally of President Nicolas Maduro who is in a Miami jail awaiting trial on a charge of money laundering.

Saab's attorneys have asked U.S. District Judge Robert Scola to dismiss the charge, arguing Saab was on a diplomatic mission to Iran to buy fuel and humanitarian supplies when he was arrested while his plane refueled in Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic Ocean.