Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman who once held significant influence as an ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, appeared in Miami federal court Friday where his attorneys entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to U.S. money laundering charges.
Defense attorney Joseph Schuster confirmed to Reuters that lawyers entered the plea at the Miami hearing on Saab’s behalf.
Saab was deported from Venezuela to the United States in May to face the charges. His arrival in U.S. custody followed the capture of Maduro by U.S. Special Forces in Caracas in January. Maduro himself has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and is scheduled to stand trial beginning June 1, 2027.
Saab previously held the position of Venezuela’s minister of industry. Delcy Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president and is now leading the country, said the decision to hand Saab over was “justified by national interests.”
Federal prosecutors with the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office allege that Saab siphoned millions of dollars from a government welfare program designed to purchase food for Venezuelan citizens, then funneled a portion of those funds into U.S. bank accounts.
This is not Saab’s first encounter with American legal proceedings. In 2020, he was arrested in Cape Verde and subsequently transferred to the United States. Then-President Joe Biden later granted him clemency in 2023 as part of a deal that secured the release of Americans who had been held in Venezuela.
