Alex Saab, a Maduro ally, deported to US

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.

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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.

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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

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