Venezuela expels Maduro ally Alex Saab to US again
Former Venezuelan industry minister Alex Saab, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, was deported to the United States on May 16 for a second time. Venezuelan authorities stated the decision was based on Saab's involvement in crimes in the U.S., despite his prior release in a 2023 prisoner exchange. Saab had been accused of money laundering and profiting from Venezuela's subsidized food aid program, CLAP.
- ▪Alex Saab was deported to the United States on May 16, 2024, after being deemed a Colombian national by Venezuelan authorities.
- ▪He was previously arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and extradited to the U.S. in 2021 on money laundering and corruption charges.
- ▪Saab and his business partner were accused of diverting $350 million from Venezuela through the U.S. financial system.
- ▪In December 2023, Saab was released from U.S. custody as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela.
- ▪Although most charges were dismissed, Saab still faced one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in the U.S.
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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, left, and Alex Saab stand together during an event marking the anniversary of the 1958 coup that overthrew dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 23, 2024. JESUS VARGAS / AP PHOTO/JESUS VARGAS Former Venezuelan industry minister Alex Saab, a close ally of deposed president Nicolas Maduro, was expelled to the United States on Saturday, May 16, for a second time, Venezuelan officials said. "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.
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