Alex Saab expelled to the United States by Venezuelan authorities
- Alex Saab was deported to the United States on Saturday, according to Venezuelan authorities.
- He was seen as a power intermediary as the country tried to adapt to international sanctions.
Alex Saab, a Colombian of Lebanese origin, has been at the center of the diplomatic conflict between the United States and Venezuela. He was a key figure in the government and a close ally of Nicolas Maduro, who appointed him as a minister. Saab was expelled on May 16 by interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed power after Maduro’s capture by the U.S. military on January 3. Critics view him as a frontman for Maduro’s business dealings, while supporters see him as a dedicated servant of chavismo and a clever intermediary. Here’s what we know about this chavismo intermediary on the international stage.
As the son of a Lebanese entrepreneur in Barranquilla, Colombia, Alex Saab, 54, started by selling key chains before successfully venturing into the textile industry. He reportedly secured his first contract in Venezuela in 2011. In videos on his YouTube channel, Saab, in his thirties at the time, with a ponytail, is seen signing a “strategic alliance” for “construction kits for social housing” at the Miraflores Presidential Palace.
Diverting food aid for Maduro’s benefit?
During this period, Hugo Chavez was the president, with Nicolas Maduro serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs. “I proposed an Italian construction system. After a year of work and door-to-door sales, we managed to enter and open a factory,” Saab told “El Tiempo” in 2017. According to his YouTube channel, after “significant” commercial success, Saab transitioned in 2018 into “a public official” sent on a “mission” to acquire “food, medicine, and refinery products” in Russia and Iran – two key Venezuelan allies.
Suspected by the United States of orchestrating a vast network that allowed Maduro and government members to divert food aid for personal gain, Saab was indicted in July 2019 in Miami. Alongside his associate Alvaro Pulido, he was accused of transferring $350 million (€285 million) out of Venezuela into foreign accounts, facing a potential 20-year prison sentence.
In June 2020, Alex Saab was apprehended during a technical stop of his private jet in Cape Verde, then extradited to the United States after 16 months of intense diplomatic and legal battles. Caracas demanded his release fervently, displaying slogans like “Freedom for diplomat Alex Saab” across Venezuela or creating the hashtag #FreeAlexSaab on social media. His return to Venezuela in December 2023, after nearly three years of detention in the U.S., was broadcasted live on public television and hailed as a diplomatic victory. He now faces another stay in the American incarceration system, similar to his former ally.
