Venezuela deports Maduro ally Alex Saab to US

Venezuela's government said Saturday it had deported former Industry Minister Alex Saab to the United States. Saab is a close ally of former President Nicolas Maduro. "The deportation measure was adopted in consideration of the fact that the aforementioned Colombian citizen is involved in the commission of various crimes in the United States of America, as is public, well-known and reported," the Venezuelan immigration administration said in a statement.

Venezuela's constitution doesn't allow the extradition of Venezuelan nationals. In this case, the country's immigration authority determined that Saab was a Colombian national and ordered him "deported" to the United States. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Colombia-born Saab managed a vast import network for Maduro's administration and built a fortune through government contracts. He has been accused of acting as a frontman and money launderer for Maduro and his government. Maduro, in exchange, granted him Venezuelan citizenship and a diplomatic passport. Saab was first arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 over allegations of money laundering and corruption. He was extradited to the United States the following year. The 54-year-old and his business partner Alvaro Pulido were charged with running a network that exploited a subsidized food aid program for Venezuela known as CLAP. The men were ultimately accused of laundering $350 million (€301 million) out of Venezuela. A US judge later dismissed most charges against Saab. But he still faced one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carried a 20-year jail term. However, in December 2023, Saab was released from US custody as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Venezuela.

Key points

• Venezuela's constitution doesn't allow the extradition of Venezuelan nationals.
• In this case, the country's immigration authority determined that Saab was a Colombian national and ordered him "deported" to the United States.
• To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Colombia-born Saab managed a vast import network for Maduro's administration and b…
• He has been accused of acting as a frontman and money launderer for Maduro and his government.
• Maduro, in exchange, granted him Venezuelan citizenship and a diplomatic passport.