Alex Saab, a close associate of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, is set to plead guilty to money laundering charges in a US federal court. The case involves a scheme to bribe officials for lucrative food import contracts, marking a significant development following his previous pardon and subsequent re-investigation.
Alex Saab, a key figure linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, is scheduled to appear in a Miami federal court to change his plea to guilty on money laundering charges. These charges relate to an alleged conspiracy to bribe Venezuelan officials to obtain lucrative contracts for importing food, exploiting a period of severe scarcity in the country. Saab, a Colombian-born businessman, was initially indicted in 2019 and later detained in Cape Verde. He was controversially pardoned by President Joe Biden in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela, but immediately faced new investigations for alleged crimes not covered by the pardon. US officials have long labeled Saab as Maduro's "money man," suggesting he could become a crucial witness against Maduro, who is awaiting trial on drug trafficking charges. The article also briefly notes the Trump administration's focus on Venezuela's oil reserves. Saab's influence grew as US sanctions forced Venezuela to conduct trade outside Western financial institutions. The current indictment details how Saab and others allegedly created a network of shell companies to bribe high-ranking Venezuelan officials controlling contracts for the CLAP food program and gained access to billions from the state oil company PDVSA.
