Venezuela’s former Minister of Industry admits his guilt in the US and could cooperate in investigations targeting Nicolás Maduro

Alex Saab, Venezuela’s former industry minister and an intermediary considered essential to Nicolás Maduro’s regime, pleaded guilty before a federal court in Miami. The change comes after he pleaded not guilty in July to charges brought by US authorities.

The plea agreement could reduce his sentence in exchange for his cooperation in criminal investigations. According to the US press, the information provided by Saab could have consequences for Nicolás Maduro, the former Venezuelan president, who was captured by the US military in January and imprisoned in New York on drug-trafficking charges. His trial is scheduled to begin next June.

Born in Colombia, Saab grew close to the Venezuelan government during the final years of Hugo Chávez’s presidency and came to manage a major import network for Caracas amid international sanctions. Arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and extradited to the US in 2021, he was accused of diverting food aid and laundering money for Maduro.

In December 2023, Saab was exchanged for ten US citizens detained in Venezuela. Appointed a minister in 2024, he was dismissed after Maduro’s capture by interim President Delcy Rodríguez. Saab now faces up to 20 years in prison.