Venezuela says it deported Maduro ally Alex Saab to face US criminal proceedings after dramatic fallout from power shift
Venezuela’s government said Saturday it had deported close Nicolás Maduro ally Alex Saab to the United States to face criminal proceedings, less than three years after he was pardoned by former US President Joe Biden in a prisoner swap.
The move marks a dramatic reversal for Saab, the Colombian-born businessman long described by US officials as Maduro’s “bag man” and a key financial operator for the Venezuelan government. Saab could now become a witness against Maduro, who is awaiting trial in Manhattan on drug-related charges after being captured in a US military raid earlier this year.
Venezuela’s immigration agency said the deportation was linked to ongoing US criminal investigations, though it did not explicitly confirm Saab’s destination. Referring to him only as a Colombian citizen appeared aimed at sidestepping Venezuelan laws banning the extradition of nationals.
Saab was previously arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and extradited to the US on money laundering and bribery charges before being released in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange between Washington and Caracas.
US prosecutors have reportedly been investigating Saab’s alleged role in a bribery scheme tied to Venezuela’s CLAP food-import program, which was created to distribute subsidized staples during the country’s economic collapse. The probe is linked to a 2021 Justice Department case against Saab associate Alvaro Pulido.
Saab amassed enormous wealth through Venezuelan state contracts but reportedly fell out of favor after the country’s leadership transition earlier this year under acting President Delcy Rodríguez. He was removed from government positions and stripped of influence over foreign investment channels before disappearing from public view amid reports of detention or house arrest.
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