Maduro ally Saab, Venezuelan businessman once held in US, arrested again: US official

WASHINGTON – Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a Colombian-Venezuelan former businessman once held in the US, was arrested in Venezuela on Feb 4 as part of a joint operation between US and Venezuelan authorities, a US law enforcement official said.

Mr Saab, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, was cinematically detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the US 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 represents a dramatic turn in fortune a month after Mr Maduro himself was captured by US forces in Caracas, and suggests a new level of collaboration between US and Venezuelan law enforcement under the government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Mr Maduro’s former deputy.

Mr Saab, 54, is expected to be extradited to the US in the coming days, the US official said.

The official noted the significance of Ms Rodriguez’s cooperation in the joint operation. As interim leader, Ms Rodriguez controls Venezuela’s law enforcement agencies and actions.

Mr Raul Gorrin, the head of Venezuela’s Globovision TV network, was also arrested in the operation, according to the official.

Colombian newspaper El Espectador later on Feb 4 cited a man who it said was Mr Saab’s lawyer, Mr Luigi Giuliano, denying the arrest as “fake news”. Journalists aligned with Venezuela’s government also denied that Mr Saab had been arrested in posts on social media on the afternoon of Feb 4.

Mr Giuliano did not immediately respond to emails sent to addresses listed on a law firm website. Globovision did not immediately respond to a call and email from Reuters.

The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Before his 2023 clemency, US officials had charged Mr Saab with siphoning around $350 million (S$445 million) out of Venezuela through the US as part of a bribery scheme linked to Venezuela’s state-controlled exchange rate.

Mr Saab denied the charges and appealed to have them dismissed on grounds of diplomatic immunity. An appeals court had not ruled on Mr Saab’s appeal at the time of the prisoner swap.

He returned with fanfare to Venezuela at the end of 2023, where Mr Maduro lauded his loyalty to the country’s socialist revolution and feted him as a national hero.

Mr Maduro later made Mr Saab industry minister, a position he held until January, when he was removed by Ms Rodriguez. REUTERS