A close ally of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been charged in a major U.S. bribery and money laundering case following his deportation from Venezuela to the United States, escalating legal pressure on figures tied to Caracas’ former leadership. (AP News)
Federal prosecutors in Miami accused Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab of orchestrating a large-scale corruption scheme involving inflated government food contracts and bribery payments to senior Venezuelan officials. According to court filings, prosecutors allege Saab and associates diverted hundreds of millions of dollars through shell companies and fraudulent import agreements tied to Venezuela’s subsidized food distribution programs.
Saab made his first appearance in federal court after being deported over the weekend by Venezuela’s acting government under Delcy Rodríguez, marking a dramatic political reversal for a businessman once celebrated by Maduro allies as a key diplomatic and economic envoy.
Corruption Probe Expands Beyond Earlier US Charges
The latest charges are separate from the money laundering case for which Saab was previously extradited from Cape Verde to the United States in 2021. He was later released in 2023 under a prisoner exchange negotiated during the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden.
According to prosecutors, the new indictment centers on alleged bribery operations involving Venezuela’s CLAP food distribution system, a government-backed subsidy network that critics long accused of enabling corruption while millions of Venezuelans faced economic hardship and shortages.
U.S. authorities allege Saab secretly cooperated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for a period before his earlier arrest, providing information related to corruption and financial operations linked to Venezuela’s ruling elite.
Venezuela’s Political Transition Reshapes Relations With Washington
Saab’s deportation reflects broader political changes inside Venezuela following the collapse of Maduro’s government earlier this year. Washington and Caracas have since expanded limited cooperation on security and energy matters under Rodríguez’s interim administration.
The United States has praised recent moves by Venezuelan authorities to cooperate with international investigations while also reopening parts of the country’s oil sector to foreign investment amid rising global energy prices linked to instability in the Middle East.
Political analysts say Saab could become a critical witness in broader U.S. investigations involving alleged corruption, sanctions evasion, and narcotics trafficking connected to former Venezuelan officials.
Legal and Political Fallout Continues
The case has generated controversy inside Venezuela, where supporters of the former government accuse authorities of violating constitutional protections by deporting Saab. Senior Venezuelan officials have argued that Saab’s Venezuelan citizenship documentation was improperly obtained, a claim his allies reject.
Saab has long been viewed by Western investigators as a central financial operator within Maduro’s international business network. His legal troubles became a major diplomatic dispute between Washington and Caracas after his arrest in Cape Verde in 2020.
The latest developments come as former Venezuelan officials and business associates continue facing multiple criminal investigations in U.S. courts involving corruption, money laundering, and narcotics allegations.
