Maduro confidant Alex Saab faces US bribery charges after deportation from Venezuela

A former close ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was charged in the United States on Monday with bribery and money laundering linked to a scheme that allegedly siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from food import contracts during Venezuela’s economic crisis.

Alex Saab made his first appearance in a federal court in Miami after being deported over the weekend by acting President Delcy Rodríguez amid an apparent crackdown on businessmen accused of enriching themselves through ties to Maduro’s government.

Wearing a beige prison uniform and shackles, Saab responded “Yes, ma’am” when asked by the judge if he understood the money laundering charge against him. Prosecutors allege Saab was part of a years-long conspiracy involving shell companies, falsified shipping documents and inflated government contracts to import food from Colombia and Mexico.

According to a newly unsealed indictment, Saab and associates deepened their influence within the Maduro administration as US sanctions weakened Venezuela’s economy, gaining access to billions of dollars linked to oil sales from state-run energy company PDVSA.

Saab, 54, had first been charged during the initial Trump administration in 2019 before being arrested in Cape Verde during a stopover that Venezuelan officials said was part of a humanitarian mission to Iran.

In 2023, then-US President Joe Biden pardoned Saab in exchange for the release of detained Americans in Venezuela and the return of a fugitive defense contractor. Republicans and US law enforcement officials criticized the deal, arguing it undermined broader corruption investigations.

Political tensions inside Venezuela

US authorities have long referred to Saab as Maduro’s “bag man” and may seek his cooperation in ongoing investigations tied to the former Venezuelan leader, who is awaiting trial in Manhattan on drug trafficking charges after being captured in a US military operation earlier this year.

Saab’s renewed prosecution comes as the Trump administration seeks to reshape relations with Venezuela. President Donald Trump and senior US officials have praised Rodríguez for opening Venezuela’s oil sector to American investment amid rising global oil prices linked to conflict in Iran.

In return, Washington has largely softened its pressure on Caracas over elections, despite constitutional requirements for a presidential vote following Maduro’s removal.

However, Rodríguez faces growing resistance from hardline factions within Venezuela’s ruling socialist party, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who retains strong influence over security forces and also faces criminal charges in the United States.

Former state TV host Mario Silva criticized Saab’s deportation, arguing it violated Venezuela’s constitutional ban on extradition.

“The imperialists don’t negotiate. They conquer, test and probe — until our country shatters,” Silva said during a livestream on social media.

Cabello later defended Saab’s removal, claiming the businessman had falsified Venezuelan identity documents and was not actually a Venezuelan citizen.

Saab’s role in corruption investigations

Rodríguez’s silence over Saab’s deportation contrasts sharply with her earlier support for him during an international campaign seeking his release from US custody. At the time, she had described Saab as an “innocent Venezuelan diplomat” illegally detained while attempting to bypass US sanctions during a mission to Iran.

Since consolidating power, Rodríguez has reportedly distanced herself from Saab, removing him from her Cabinet and ending his role as a key intermediary for foreign investors entering Venezuela.

Saab accumulated vast wealth through Venezuelan state contracts. The 2019 US case against him centered on a low-income housing project that prosecutors say was never completed.

The latest indictment is tied to the controversial CLAP food distribution program launched under Maduro to supply subsidized staples such as rice, corn flour and cooking oil during Venezuela’s hyperinflation crisis.

Prosecutors allege Saab and longtime associate Alvaro Pulido used a network of shell companies to bribe pro-Maduro officials and secure inflated food import contracts from Mexico.

Court filings have also revealed that Saab secretly cooperated with the US Drug Enforcement Administration before his first arrest. His lawyers disclosed in 2022 that he had assisted US authorities in investigating corruption inside Maduro’s inner circle and surrendered more than $12 million in illicit proceeds.