Alex Saab, former businessman and associate of Maduro, was arrested in Venezuela in a joint operation with American authorities.

Alex Saab, a Venezuelan official and former businessman close to Nicolas Maduro, was arrested on Wednesday in Venezuela, in a joint operation between American and Venezuelan authorities.

Saab, born in Colombia, was previously detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and has been in custody in the US for over three years, being accused of corruption. His lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, denied the arrest, claiming that the information is false, and journalists close to the Venezuelan government stated that Saab was not arrested. The President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodriguez, did not confirm the information. American officials mentioned that Saab could be extradited to the US in the coming days, and Raul Gorrin, another businessman, was arrested in the same operation.

This arrest takes place in a context of increased cooperation between the US and Venezuela, under the leadership of interim Delcy Rodriguez.