Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a former businessman who was previously held in the United States, was arrested in Venezuela on Wednesday during a joint operation involving U.S. and Venezuelan authorities, according to a U.S. law enforcement official.
Saab, a Colombian-born close ally of former President Nicolas Maduro, was detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and later extradited to the United States, where he spent more than three years facing bribery charges. He was granted clemency in 2023 as part of a deal that secured the release of Americans held in Venezuela.
Later on Wednesday, Colombian newspaper El Espectador quoted Saab’s lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, dismissing reports of the arrest as “fake news.” Journalists aligned with Venezuela’s government also denied the arrest in social media posts. Speaking to Venezuelan outlet TalCual, Giuliano said Saab might appear publicly to clarify the situation but was consulting with government officials about what had occurred.
Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez neither confirmed nor denied the reports during an evening press conference, saying the matter was outside his authority and that he had no information regarding a possible arrest. Giuliano did not immediately respond to emails sent to addresses listed on his law firm’s website, and a lawyer who represented Saab in U.S. court in December 2023 declined to comment.
The U.S. official said Saab, 54, is expected to be extradited to the United States in the coming days. Such a move would mark a dramatic development just one month after former President Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in Caracas, signaling an unprecedented level of cooperation between U.S. and Venezuelan law enforcement under interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former deputy.
The official emphasized Rodriguez’s role in facilitating the joint operation, noting that as interim leader she oversees Venezuela’s law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Justice Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
The official also said Raul Gorrin, head of Venezuela’s Globovision television network, was arrested in the same operation. Lawyers for Gorrin could not immediately be identified, and Globovision did not respond to calls or emails from Reuters. Venezuela’s communications ministry also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before receiving clemency in 2023, U.S. prosecutors accused Saab of siphoning roughly $350 million out of Venezuela through the U.S. financial system in a bribery scheme tied to the country’s state-controlled currency exchange.
Saab denied the allegations and sought dismissal of the charges on the grounds of diplomatic immunity. An appeals court had not ruled on his claim at the time of the prisoner exchange.
Saab returned to Venezuela in late 2023 to a celebratory reception, with Maduro praising his loyalty to the socialist revolution and hailing him as a national hero. Maduro later appointed him industry minister, a role Saab held until last month, when interim President Rodriguez removed him from the post.
