Venezuelan official Alex Saab arrested, faces extradition, US official says

Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a former businessman and close ally of captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, was arrested in the Latin American country on Wednesday as part of a joint operation between the United States and Venezuela, according to a US law enforcement official.

The 54-year-old Saab, who was previously held in the United States, is expected to be extradited to the United States in the coming days, the US official told Reuters.

Saab’s lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, dismissed the arrest as “fake news” in Colombian newspaper El Espectador later Wednesday. Journalists affiliated with the Venezuelan government also posted on social media denying that Saab was arrested.

Giuliano told Venezuelan news site TalCual that Saab could appear in person to refute allegations of arrest, but that he had consulted the government on what was happening.

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Venezuela’s top lawmaker, Jorge Rodríguez, did not confirm or deny the reports, saying at a news conference that he had no information about the possible arrest.

This follows the US operation to attack Venezuela and arrest Maduro, and the Trump administration’s subsequent seizure of oil tankers from the country.

Saab’s arrest marks a new level of cooperation between U.S. and Venezuelan authorities under the government of interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy who now controls Venezuela’s law enforcement and actions.

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Businessman Alex Saab is expected to be extradited to the USA in the coming days. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The US official emphasized the importance of Rodriguez’s cooperation in the joint operation.

Raul Gorrin, the head of Venezuela’s Globovision TV network, was also arrested during the operation, the official said.

Born in Colombia, Saab was previously detained in the African country of Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the USA for more than three years on charges of bribery. He was eventually granted amnesty in exchange for the release of Americans held in Venezuela.

Before he was granted amnesty, US officials accused Saab of receiving approximately $350 million from Venezuela through the US as part of a bribery scheme linked to Venezuela’s state-controlled exchange rate.

Venezuelan official Alex Saab is a close ally of captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (Gabriela Oraa / AFP) (Photo: GABRIELA ORAA/AFP via Getty Images)

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Saab denied the allegations and called for the charges to be dropped on grounds of diplomatic immunity. The appeals court had not ruled on Saab’s appeal when the prisoner swap took place.

When he returned to Venezuela at the end of 2023, Maduro praised Saab’s commitment to the country’s socialist revolution and called him a national hero.

Maduro later appointed Saab as industry minister; He held that post until last month, when he was ousted by Rodriguez following the arrest of the country’s former leader.

Reuters contributed to this report.