MADURO ALLY ALEX SAAB ARRESTED IN VENEZUELA IN RARE US-VENEZUELA LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATION

Alex Saab, a senior Venezuelan official and close ally of former President Nicolás Maduro, has reportedly been arrested in Venezuela following what a U.S law enforcement source described as a coordinated operation involving both Venezuelan and American authorities.

Saab, a Colombian-born businessman, was previously detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and later extradited to the United States, where he spent more than three years in custody on bribery-related charges.

He was released in late 2023 after being granted clemency as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange that secured the freedom of several Americans held in Venezuela.

According to the U.S. official, Saab was taken into custody on Wednesday and could be extradited back to the United States in the coming days. The same operation allegedly led to the arrest of Raúl Gorrín, head of Venezuela’s Globovisión television network.

However, the reported arrest has been strongly disputed. Saab’s lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, dismissed the claims as false, describing them as “fake news.”Pro-government journalists in Venezuela also took to social media to deny that Saab had been detained.

Speaking to local media, Giuliano said Saab may appear publicly to address the reports but was first consulting with government officials to clarify the situation.

Venezuela’s National Assembly President, Jorge Rodríguez, neither confirmed nor denied the arrest during an evening press briefing, stating that the matter did not fall under his authority and that he had no official information regarding Saab’s status.

Neither Venezuelan government spokespersons nor U.S. authorities have issued formal statements confirming the reported operation.

If confirmed, the arrest would mark a significant shift in relations between Washington and Caracas, suggesting an unusual level of cooperation between both governments’ law enforcement agencies under the interim administration of President Delcy Rodríguez.

Before his release from the U.S. custody, Saab, had been accused by American prosecutors of diverting approximately $350 million from Venezuela through a bribery scheme linked to the country’s state-controlled exchange rate system.

Saab denied the allegations and sought dismissal of the charges, arguing that he enjoyed diplomatic immunity, an appeal that had not been ruled on before his release.

Following his return to Venezuela in late 2023, Saab was publicly celebrated by Maduro’s allies and appointed Minister of Industry. He was removed from the position last month under the interim government.

As of Wednesday night, Saab’s whereabouts and legal status remained unclear, with conflicting accounts fueling uncertainty over whether an arrest had, in fact, taken place.