Maduro Ally Alex Saab Appears in US Court on Money Laundering Charges

(CNA Miami, 18th, Comprehensive External Report) Alex Saab, a close friend of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and former Minister of Industry, appeared in a U.S. court today. He is accused of acting as a money launderer for the Maduro regime, transferring illicit funds through a complex financial network. Agence France-Presse reports that the Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab appeared in a Miami federal court, suspected of profiting from the abuse of Venezuela's food aid program. A. Tysen Duva, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Criminal Division, said in a statement, 'Saab is suspected of using the U.S. banking system to launder hundreds of millions of dollars, funds originating from a food aid program intended to help the poor, and proceeds from the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil.' Saab was deported by Venezuelan authorities on the 16th of this month and handed over to the United States. Saab established close ties with the Venezuelan government during the final years of leftist strongman Hugo Chavez's 1999-2013 rule and later managed a vast import network for the Maduro government. He is accused of acting as a 'front man' and money launderer for Maduro and his government during Maduro's tenure, receiving Venezuelan citizenship and a diplomatic passport in return. Saab was first sanctioned by the U.S. in 2019, first arrested in Cape Verde in 2020, extradited to the U.S. the following year, and released in 2023 after a prisoner exchange agreement between the U.S. and Venezuela. Maduro appointed Saab as Minister of Industry in 2024, but he was dismissed by interim President Delcy Rodriguez earlier this year after a U.S. military raid on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to capture Maduro. Reuters reported that Rodriguez stated sending Saab to the United States was 'in the national interest.' Prosecutors allege Saab conspired to bribe Venezuelan officials and transferred funds through U.S. bank accounts for personal enrichment. This comes as the Trump administration prepares to try Maduro, who was arrested by U.S. forces earlier this year. Sources familiar with the matter say Saab may provide information to U.S. authorities to strengthen the criminal charges against Maduro. (Compiled by: Liu Wen-yu) 1150519