Alex Saab could become star witness against Maduro after his deportation: report
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Alex Saab, a 54-year-old Colombian businessman and close ally of captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, was reportedly deported after his arrest in a joint US-Venezuelan operation in February.
This development comes less than three years after former President Joe Biden pardoned and released Saab in a controversial 2023 prisoner swap.
The high-profile arrest underscores a new level of cooperation between U.S. authorities and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
OFFICIAL SAYS MADURO ALLY ALEX SAAB WAS ARRESTED IN JOINT US-VENEZUELAN OPERATION
Then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks to his supporters alongside Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab during a rally in Caracas on January 23, 2024. (Gabriela Oraa/AFP)
After Maduro was captured in a US military raid in January, Rodríguez stripped Saab of his position in the cabinet and his role as the main conduit for foreign investments, according to one report. report From the Associated Press.
If extradited to U.S. custody, Saab could become a crucial star witness against Maduro, who is currently awaiting trial on drug charges in Manhattan.
Court hearings had previously revealed that Saab held secret meetings with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for years, helping them detect corruption in Maduro’s camp.
VENEZUELA ORDERS A NATIONWIDE HUMAN HUNT OF SUPPORTERS AFTER MADURO’S ARREST BY US FORCES
Businessman Alex Saab is seen at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on December 20, 2023. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anatolia)
Saab, described by US officials as Maduro’s “bag man”, was previously detained on bribery charges in 2020, according to the AP. US officials claimed that he siphoned $350 million from Venezuela.
While Biden’s 2023 pardon focuses on a specific 2019 indictment involving unbuilt low-income housing, Saab still faces active federal investigations over alleged bribery conspiracies involving Venezuelan food import contracts.
Venezuela’s immigration authority confirmed that a “Colombian citizen” was being sent for U.S. criminal investigations, but refrained from confirming the destination to circumvent Venezuelan laws that prohibit the extradition of its own citizens, the AP reported.
Colombian businessman Alex Saab is seen in Caracas, Venezuela, on December 21, 2023. (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)
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The U.S. Department of Justice and Saab’s attorney, Neil Schuster, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
