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Akbar Novruz

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Venezuelan authorities announced that Alex Saab, the former minister of industry under the still incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, was deported to the United States, AzerNEWS reports.

The deportation had been carried out in accordance with Venezuela's immigration laws and "was adopted taking into consideration that the aforementioned Colombian citizen is involved in the commission of various crimes in the United States of America, as is public, notorious, and widely reported," the government said.

Saab served in Maduro's cabinet from 2024 until shortly after Maduro's arrest and extradition to the US in January this year.

The Colombia-born Saab managed a vast import network for Maduro's administration and built a fortune through government contracts.

He has been accused of acting as a frontman and money launderer for Maduro and his government. Maduro, in exchange, granted him Venezuelan citizenship and a diplomatic passport.

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

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

The men were ultimately accused of laundering $350 million (€301 million) out of Venezuela.

A US judge later dismissed most charges against Saab. But he 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 deal with Venezuela.

Maduro appointed Saab to his Cabinet the following year.