Sawt Falasteen - Venezuela expels Maduro ally Alex Saab to US again

"The deportation measure was adopted in consideration of the fact that the aforementioned Colombian citizen is involved in the commission of various crimes in the United States of America, as is public, well-known and reported," the Venezuelan immigration administration said in a statement.

A Colombia-born businessman, Saab had become close to Venezuela's government in the final years of leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez's 1999-2013 presidency and then managed a vast import network for Maduro's administration.

He was accused of acting as frontman and money launderer for Maduro and his government, who in return granted him Venezuelan citizenship and a diplomatic passport.

He was first arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 over money laundering and corruption claims and extradited to the United States the following year.

- 'Substantial profits' -

Saab, 54, and his business partner Alvaro Pulido were charged with running a network that exploited a subsidized food aid program for Venezuela known as CLAP.

"Under Maduro's watch, Saab reaped substantial profits and imported only a fraction of the food needed for the CLAP program," the US Treasury Department said in 2019 when it first issued sanctions for Saab.

The pair were ultimately accused of transferring $350 million out of Venezuela either to the US or through the US to foreign accounts they owned or controlled.

Although a US judge ended up dismissing most charges against him, Saab still faced one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carried a 20-year jail term.

However, in December 2023, Saab was released from US custody as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela.

His return to Venezuela was broadcast live on television and celebrated as a diplomatic victory, with the Venezuelan government advocating for his release in the years he was detained in the United States.

Maduro appointed Saab to his cabinet the following year, but shortly after the US captured Maduro in a Caracas raid this past January, interim president Delcy Rodriguez dismissed him from all his posts.

Saab's wife Camilla Fabri, who served as deputy minister for international communication, was also dismissed by Rodriguez in February.

While the extradition of a Venezuelan citizen is technically prohibited under the constitution, the country's immigration authority determined that Saab was a Colombian national and ordered him "deported" to the United States.

The US Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP on Saturday.

O.Salim--SF-PST