Colombian businessman Alex Saab in Caracas, Venezuela December 21, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria
(Reuters) – Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a Colombian-Venezuelan businessman and ally of former President Nicolas Maduro, was deported to the United States, Venezuela’s migration agency, SAIME, said on Saturday.
Saab was arrested in Caracas in February during a joint operation by U.S. and Venezuelan authorities, according to a U.S. law enforcement official at the time.
Saab’s arrest occurred a month after Maduro’s own capture by U.S. special forces in Caracas. The arrest and deportation of Saab suggested a new level of collaboration between U.S. and Venezuelan law enforcement under acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president.
The Colombian-born Saab, 54, was previously detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the U.S. on bribery charges. He was granted clemency in 2023 in exchange for the release of Americans detained in Venezuela.
Saab could provide U.S. authorities with information to strengthen their criminal case against Maduro, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York in January to face criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism. They deny the charges.
Saab’s lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reporting by Reuters Staff Editing by Rod Nickel and Matthew Lewis