Maduro ally Alex Saab pleads guilty to money laundering, agrees to cooperate with US prosecutors
Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab, former Venezuelan minister and close ally of ousted president Nicolas Maduro, pleaded guilty to money laundering in Miami court and will forfeit $195 million while cooperating with federal investigators.
Omar Al Nuaimi
Maduro ally pleads guilty in $195m money laundering case in US court
Alex Saab, a Colombian-born businessman and former Venezuelan minister who served as a close ally to ousted president Nicolas Maduro, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to commit money laundering in a Miami federal court, according to court filings.
The plea deal, which could have significant implications for ongoing prosecutions of Venezuelan officials, requires Saab to cooperate fully with US federal investigators and forfeit $195 million obtained through the money laundering scheme. In exchange, he faces a potentially reduced sentence on the single charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Under the terms filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Saab has agreed to provide truthful and complete information and testimony when called upon by prosecutors. The agreement explicitly states he will not protect any person or entity through false information or omission.
Case background and legal proceedings
Saab's case has attracted intense scrutiny due to his potential willingness to testify against Maduro and former first lady Cilia Flores, both of whom were captured by US forces during a January raid in Caracas and are currently being held in New York awaiting trial on drug trafficking and other charges.
US authorities originally indicted Saab in July 2019 on multiple money laundering charges related to a Venezuelan corruption scheme. Prosecutors alleged that Saab and co-conspirators moved approximately $350 million out of Venezuela through accounts they controlled in the United States and other countries, with the scheme involving bribes to Venezuelan government officials.
The corruption allegedly centered on the CLAP program, a Venezuelan government food distribution system designed to provide subsidized staples like rice, corn flour, and cooking oil to poor Venezuelans during a period of rampant hyperinflation and economic collapse.
Saab was arrested on June 12, 2020, when his private plane stopped for refueling in Cape Verde during a journey from Venezuela to Iran that Venezuelan authorities described as a humanitarian mission. After 16 months of detention and legal proceedings that included appeals reaching Cape Verde's Supreme Court, he was extradited to the United States in October 2021.
The extradition proceeded under the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, as the United States and Cape Verde lack a bilateral extradition treaty. Following his arrival in the US, a judge dismissed seven of the eight original money laundering charges in November 2021 due to assurances given to Cape Verde that limited the charges Saab could face, leaving only the single count of conspiracy to commit money laundering to which he has now pleaded guilty.
Political dimensions and prisoner exchange
Saab's legal journey took an unusual turn in December 2023 when President Joe Biden granted him clemency as part of a prisoner exchange that secured the release of 10 Americans detained in Venezuela, including six classified as wrongfully detained. He returned to Venezuela and was appointed by Maduro as minister of industry in 2024.
However, Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who had served as vice president from 2018 until assuming the presidency on January 5, 2026, following Maduro's capture, dismissed Saab from all government posts shortly after taking power. Venezuelan interim authorities extradited him back to the United States in May 2026.
Saab initially pleaded not guilty before a judge on July 24, 2026, before reversing course with Tuesday's guilty plea. He had become an active figure in Venezuelan politics under Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez and later allegedly served as a front man and money launderer for Maduro, receiving Venezuelan citizenship and a diplomatic passport in return.
Rodriguez has worked closely with the administration of US President Donald Trump as Washington maintains tight control over Venezuela. She has implemented reforms opening Venezuela's oil sector to international investment and signed agreements providing US oversight of portions of the country's reserves.
The final sentence Saab receives and the actual forfeiture amount will depend on the extent and quality of his cooperation with US authorities in their ongoing investigations.
