Author: Jana Winter
WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Alex Saab, a Venezuelan official of Colombian origin and a former businessman formerly imprisoned in the United States, was arrested in Venezuela on Wednesday as part of a joint operation by U.S. and Venezuelan authorities, a U.S. law enforcement official said.
Saab, a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro, was detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the United States for more than three years on bribery charges before being granted clemency in exchange for the release of Americans held in Venezuela.
His latest detention marks a dramatic turn in fortunes for Maduro himself, a month after he was captured by U.S. forces in Caracas, and signals a new level of cooperation between U.S. and Venezuelan law enforcement under the government of Maduro’s former vice president and interim president, Delcy Rodriguez.
Saab, 54, is expected to be extradited to the United States in the coming days, U.S. officials said.
The official noted the significance of Rodriguez’s cooperation in joint operations. As interim leader, Rodriguez controls Venezuela’s law enforcement agencies and operations.
Raul Gorin, head of Venezuela’s Globo television network, was also arrested in the operation, according to the official.
After Colombian media first reported Saab’s arrest, journalists allied to the Venezuelan government took to social media on Wednesday afternoon to deny Saab’s arrest.
Venezuela’s Communications Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it could not immediately be determined whether Saab or Gorin had legal representation.
Prior to the 2023 clemency, U.S. officials accused Saab of embezzling about $350 million from Venezuela through the United States as part of a bribery scheme related to Venezuela’s state-controlled currency.
Saab has denied the accusations and called for them to be dismissed on grounds of diplomatic immunity. At the time of the prisoner exchange, the appeals court had yet to rule on Szabo’s appeal.
He returned to Venezuela in late 2023 with great fanfare, with Maduro praising his loyalty to the national socialist revolution and considering him a national hero.
Maduro later appointed Saab as industry minister until he was dismissed by Rodriguez last month.
(Reporting by Jana Winter in Washington; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
