Venezuela extradites key Maduro ally to the US ‘with the help of the CIA’

Venezuela has extradited Alex Saab, a close ally of former President Nicolás Maduro, to the United States to face judicial proceedings, despite receiving a presidential pardon from Joe Biden in 2023.

Saab, 54, often described as Maduro’s “bag man,” was deported following his arrest in February, according to Venezuela’s migration agency. He had previously been released from US custody in a prisoner swap, where Washington freed him in exchange for Americans imprisoned in Venezuela.

Local media outlet Lapatilla reported that Saab is set to face trial in the Southern District of Florida on charges including money laundering, corruption, and sanctions evasion. The operation involved coordination between the US State Department, Department of Justice, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez authorized the deportation, which was executed by the Administrative Service for Identification, Migration, and Foreigners (SAIME).

Although Saab holds Venezuelan citizenship, he is primarily identified as a Colombian national, and Venezuelan law generally prohibits extraditing its citizens. SAIME cited Saab’s alleged involvement in multiple crimes in the United States as justification for the move.

The animated extradition has added a new dimension to Rodríguez’s relations with the US, particularly her engagement with the Trump administration following Maduro’s capture in January. Saab reportedly fell out of favour with Venezuela’s new leadership, losing his cabinet position and his role as the main intermediary for foreign investors.

Federal prosecutors in Miami have been investigating Saab’s alleged role in a bribery scheme connected to the Venezuelan CLAP program, which was intended to supply basic food items to citizens amid economic turmoil. Saab is accused of helping set up companies used to bribe a pro-Maduro governor to secure contracts for importing food boxes at inflated prices.

Saab was first arrested in 2020 after his private jet made a stop in Cape Verde en route to Iran, on what Venezuelan authorities described as a humanitarian mission to bypass US sanctions. Following his 2023 release, Rodríguez hailed his return as a “resounding victory” for Venezuela.

Biden’s pardon, narrowly focused on a 2019 indictment related to alleged bribery in housing contracts, allowed Saab to be freed. Some Republicans, including Senator Chuck Grassley, criticized the swap, describing Saab as a “predator of vulnerable people.”

Saab’s return to US custody could see him provide valuable testimony against Maduro. Reports indicate that Saab had previously cooperated with the Drug Enforcement Administration to expose corruption within Maduro’s inner circle, forfeiting over $12 million in illicit proceeds as part of his cooperation.

Saab’s Miami-based attorney, Neil Schuster, declined to comment, and the US Justice Department had not responded to immediate requests for comment.