Alex Saab pleads guilty to money laundering in Miami, agrees to cooperate
Maduro ally Alex Saab admitted to money laundering conspiracy in a Miami court, agreeing to forfeit $195 million and cooperate with US prosecutors.
Maduro ally Alex Saab enters guilty plea in Miami corruption case
A Colombian-born businessman with close ties to ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded guilty on Tuesday in a US federal corruption case, reuters.com reports, as prosecutors separately prepare to bring Maduro himself to trial next year.
Alex Saab entered a guilty plea to one count of money laundering conspiracy before US District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami, according to court records. He also agreed to forfeit $195 million and cooperate with the US Department of Justice. The records did not specify the nature of any investigations in which Saab might provide assistance.
Saab's lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
Millions stolen from Venezuelan welfare programme
Federal prosecutors allege that Saab siphoned millions of dollars from a welfare programme designed to feed vulnerable Venezuelans, transferring a portion of the proceeds into US bank accounts. Saab had pleaded not guilty in July, two months after being extradited as part of acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez's effort to distance her administration from her predecessor's government.
Saab served as Venezuela's minister of industry under Maduro before Rodriguez removed him in January, shortly after Maduro was seized by US Special Forces in Caracas. Venezuela's new government detained Saab the following month.
A second US criminal case
The current proceedings mark the second US criminal case against Saab. In 2020 he was detained in Cape Verde and extradited the following year to face money laundering charges for allegedly diverting $350 million out of Venezuela in connection with a bribery scheme. Former US President Joe Biden granted Saab clemency in December 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange.
Maduro awaits trial in Brooklyn
Maduro is currently held without bail in a Brooklyn jail after pleading not guilty to drug trafficking charges. He has claimed immunity from US prosecution on the grounds that he once led a sovereign state. Legal experts have described this argument as an uphill battle, in part because Washington had not recognised Maduro as Venezuela's president since 2019. His trial is scheduled for 1 June 2027.
Source: Google News MT