Alex Saab, an influential figure in the Venezuelan government under Nicolás Maduro, was expelled to the United States on Saturday, Venezuelan authorities announced in a statement, five months after the former president was captured by the US military.
“Venezuela reports the expulsion of Colombian citizen Alex Naim Saab Moran, effective on May 16, 2026. The expulsion was decided considering that the said Colombian citizen is involved in various crimes in the United States, as publicly, widely known and widely reported by the media,” according to the statement from Venezuelan immigration authorities (Saime).
Alex Saab had become close to the Venezuelan government during the final years of Hugo Chávez’s mandate (1999-2013) and had come to manage a vast import network for Nicolás Maduro’s government. He was seen as a key intermediary of power while the country tried to adapt to international sanctions.
He was specifically responsible for importing products for the subsidized food sales program known as Clap, which has been tainted by corruption allegations.
Extradition of a Venezuelan citizen, under legal terms, is prohibited by the Constitution, but immigration authorities deemed Mr. Saab to be Colombian and proceeded with an “expulsion” to the United States, where he was wanted.
Mr. Saab was detained during a layover in Cape Verde in 2020 and extradited to the United States in 2021, where he was accused of food aid embezzlement and money laundering for Mr. Maduro.
He was exchanged in December 2023 for ten Americans imprisoned in Venezuela. A release that Mr. Maduro, captured on January 3 by the US military, had hailed as a “triumph.”
Mr. Saab was welcomed with great fanfare upon his return and was subsequently appointed as a minister.
In early February, media reports indicated the arrest of Alex Saab at the FBI’s request, although a close source to power had stated he was “at his house” without further detail.
After Nicolás Maduro’s capture, Delcy Rodríguez, the former vice president, assumed power and removed Saab from the government, also ousting his Italian wife Camila Fabri from her positions.
She also sidelined several close associates of Nicolás Maduro from positions of influence.
Under pressure from Washington, she implemented numerous changes, including an amnesty law to release political prisoners and reforming the oil sector to allow private involvement.
AFP
