"The men were ultimately accused of laundering $350 million (301 million) out of Venezuela. A US judge later dismissed most charges against Saab. But he still faced one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carried a 20-year jail term. However, in December 2023, Saab was released from US custody as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Venezuela."
Venezuela reported deporting former Industry Minister Alex Saab to the United States. Venezuela’s immigration administration said the deportation was adopted because Saab was involved in various crimes in the United States. Venezuela’s constitution bars extradition of Venezuelan nationals, so the immigration authority treated Saab as a Colombian national and ordered deportation. Saab, born in Colombia, managed an import network for Maduro’s administration and accumulated wealth through government contracts. He was accused of acting as a frontman and money launderer for Maduro and his government. Saab was arrested in Cape Verde in 2020, extradited to the United States in 2021, and charged in connection with laundering about $350 million tied to the CLAP food aid program. Most charges were dismissed by a US judge, but one money-laundering conspiracy count remained. He was released from US custody in December 2023 in a prisoner exchange and later appointed to Maduro’s Cabinet.
Read at www.dw.com
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