Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and onetime prominent ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty on Friday to U.S. money laundering charges. Saab’s lawyers entered the not guilty plea on his behalf at a hearing in Miami federal court.
Background
Venezuela deported Saab in May to face the charges, after U.S. Special Forces captured Maduro in Caracas in January. Maduro has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and is due to go on trial starting June 1, 2027. Saab previously served as Venezuela’s minister of industry.
The Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office accuses Saab of stealing millions of dollars from a welfare program intended to buy food for Venezuelans, and transferring some of the illicit proceeds to U.S. bank accounts. This is not the first time Saab has faced U.S. criminal charges. In 2020, he was detained in Cape Verde and then taken to the U.S.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
