Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a Maduro ally, deported to US

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 May 16.

Mr Saab was arrested in Caracas in February during a joint operation by US and Venezuelan authorities, according to a US law enforcement official at the time.

Mr Saab’s arrest occurred a month after Mr Maduro’s own capture by US special forces in Caracas. The arrest and deportation of Mr Saab suggested a new level of collaboration between US and Venezuelan law enforcement under acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Mr Maduro’s former vice-president.

The Colombian-born Saab, 54, was previously detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the US on bribery charges. He was granted clemency in 2023 in exchange for the release of Americans detained in Venezuela.

Mr Saab could provide US authorities with information to strengthen their criminal case against Mr Maduro, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Mr 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.

Mr Saab’s lawyer, Mr Luigi Giuliano, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. REUTERS