Venezuelan government deported businessman Alex Saab, a close associate of former leader Nicolás Maduro, to the United States to face legal proceedings.
9:29 PM
Venezuela's government said Saturday it deported Alex Saab, a close ally of former President Nicolás Maduro, to face judicial proceedings in the United States. The decision represents a significant reversal for Saab, whom Maduro had fought to bring home after his previous international arrest in 2020.
The Colombian-born businessman, long described by U.S. officials as Maduro's "bag man," was arrested in Caracas on February 4 in a joint operation involving U.S. and Venezuelan intelligence agencies. According to reports, agents from the Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional (SEBIN) and the FBI detained Saab around 2:30 a.m. in the Cerro Verde neighborhood of Caracas.
Saab had been removed from his position as minister of industry and production in early January following a cabinet reshuffle by acting president Delcy Rodríguez after Maduro's forced departure from power in a U.S. military intervention on January 3.
The Venezuelan immigration authority confirmed the deportation in a brief statement Saturday but did not explicitly specify the destination country. U.S. officials have indicated that Saab may be asked to testify against Maduro, who is awaiting trial on drug charges in Manhattan following his capture in the January military raid.
Saab's deportation came less than three years after President Joe Biden pardoned him as part of a prisoner exchange. The businessman had been a prominent figure in Venezuela's government and was known for managing financial operations for the Maduro administration.
Another businessman, Raúl Gorrín, who was also detained in the same February operation and is described as a Maduro associate and owner of the television channel Globovisión, was also subject to extradition discussions with U.S. authorities.
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