Venezuela’s former industry minister and close ally of ousted President Nicolás Maduro, Alex Saab, was extradited to the United States on Saturday. The businessman of Colombian origin, whom Washington has long described as Maduro’s key financier, has fallen out of favor with the new Venezuelan leadership that took over the country after the intervention of the US armed forces in January.
Former Venezuelan Industry Minister Alex Saab, a close ally of ousted President Nicolás Maduro, was extradited to the United States for a second time on Saturday, the Venezuelan government said in a statement. TASR informs about it according to the reports of AFP and AP agencies.
- Alex Saab was extradited to the United States for the second time.
- Venezuelan authorities have admitted Saab’s involvement in several crimes in the US.
- Saab may testify against Maduro, who is indicted on drug charges.
Saab’s second arrest
“The deportation action was taken in view of the fact that the said Colombian national is involved in the commission of various crimes in the United States of America, which is public, widely known and mediately reported,” the statement said.
Saab, who is a businessman, was first arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 on suspicion of money laundering and was extradited to the United States the following year, but was released in 2023 in a prisoner swap with Venezuela.
Connections with Maduro
In its statement, the Venezuelan government did not specifically say where it deported Alex Saab, but said its decision was based on several ongoing criminal investigations in the US.
Saab, 54, amassed a fortune thanks to government contracts in Venezuela. But the Colombian-born businessman, who US officials have long described as Maduro’s “messenger”, has fallen out of favor with the country’s new leadership, which came to power after the US ousted the Venezuelan president. Saab could be asked to testify against his former bodyguard, who is awaiting trial in Manhattan on drug charges after he was detained by US forces in January.
