Venezuela has transferred businessman and former government insider Alex Saab to U.S. custody, marking a major reversal for one of the most prominent figures tied to the financial operations of the Nicolás Maduro era. The country’s immigration authority, SAIME, announced that Saab, identified as a Colombian national, was deported on May 16 in accordance with Venezuelan immigration law. Officials said the decision was based on multiple ongoing criminal investigations in the United States.
Saab, 54, rose to influence as a key operator within Maduro’s economic network, managing large import and contract systems that U.S. prosecutors say were used to divert funds through inflated or fictitious transactions. Federal cases in Miami allege that Saab and business partner Álvaro Pulido laundered hundreds of millions of dollars through the CLAP food‑aid program, a subsidized system intended to supply basic goods to Venezuelan families.
His legal troubles began in 2020 when he was arrested in Cape Verde on a U.S. warrant and later extradited to the United States. After spending nearly two years in custody, Saab was released in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange between Washington and Caracas. He returned to Venezuela and was appointed to senior government roles under Maduro.
That status shifted after Maduro’s ouster and capture by U.S. forces in January. Venezuela’s new interim administration removed Saab from all government positions earlier this year, including his Cabinet post and his role as a conduit for foreign investment. His wife, Camilla Fabri, who held a deputy ministerial position, was also dismissed.
The deportation order emphasized that Saab was considered a Colombian citizen, a distinction that allowed Venezuela to proceed with deportation rather than extradition, which is prohibited for Venezuelan nationals under the country’s constitution. The move signals a broader effort by the interim government to distance itself from Maduro‑era financial networks and cooperate with U.S. investigations.
U.S. prosecutors are expected to resume proceedings on the remaining money‑laundering conspiracy charge, which carries a potential 20‑year sentence. Saab’s return to U.S. custody could also position him as a potential witness in ongoing federal inquiries into corruption tied to Venezuela’s former leadership.
Sources
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Associated Press
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Reuters
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