Venezuela deports former Maduro ally Alex Saab to US
The move follows Saab’s dismissal from Interim President Rodriguez’s cabinet and could strain the new administration’s fragile political coalition.
Venezuela’s immigration authority confirmed on Saturday that it had deported former Industry Minister Alex Saab to the United States, a decision made by classifying the Colombia-born figure as a Colombian national. The government stated that the measure was necessary due to Saab’s involvement in various crimes in the US, noting that his status as a foreign national allowed for his removal without violating constitutional prohibitions against the extradition of Venezuelan citizens.
Saab, a close ally of ousted President Nicolas Maduro, was appointed to the cabinet in 2024 after being released from US custody in a December 2023 prisoner exchange. During his tenure, he managed a vast import network for the Maduro administration and was granted Venezuelan citizenship and a diplomatic passport. However, he has since fallen out of favour with the new administration led by Interim President Rodriguez, who took power following Maduro’s ouster and capture by US forces in January.
Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, dismissed Saab from the Cabinet and stripped him of all his posts. Saab’s wife, Camilla Fabri, who served as deputy minister for international communication, was also dismissed in February. The deportation marks a significant shift in the treatment of key figures from the previous regime, signalling a break with the political arrangements of the Maduro era.
The legal background to Saab’s return to American custody is complex. Arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and extradited to the US in 2021, Saab and his business partner Alvaro Pulido were accused of running a network that exploited the CLAP food aid program and laundering $350 million out of Venezuela. While a US judge dismissed most charges against Saab, he remained facing one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a 20-year jail term.
Analysts suggest that the deportation could deepen divisions within Rodriguez’s fragile ruling coalition in Caracas. The move highlights the internal tensions and realignments occurring as the interim government consolidates power and addresses the legacy of the previous administration’s economic and political structures.
