2023-12-20 17:50:06
This Wednesday, the United States released the ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Alex Saab, in exchange for imprisoned Americans.
Alex Saab, who was arrested on a US warrant for money laundering in 2020, was released from custody on Wednesday. In return, Maduro will free some, if not all, of at least 10 US citizens who remain imprisoned in Venezuela, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The White House declined to comment.
According to local media, the United States government reached an agreement with the Maduro regime to release to Colombian businessman Alex Saabimprisoned in Miami for money laundering, in exchange for the release of eight Americans imprisoned in Venezuela.
The media cites sources close to the FBI.
The terms of the agreement are unknown.
As part of the same agreement, two US citizens were released by the Maduro regime on Tuesday, out of a total of eight that would be exchanged. These are two former soldiers who belonged to the Special Forces corps, known as “Green Berets.” Are they Luke Denman y Airan Berry.
Who is Alex Saab?
Saab is a Colombian businessman, accused of being a front man for Nicolás Maduro.
On October 18, 2021, before a Miami court, Saab faced to eight accusations of laundering for several hundred million dollarspresumably coming from corrupt business with Caracas.
Alex Saab and his wife Camila Fabri. Photo: archive
Saab is the son of a Lebanese immigrant who settled in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia, where he opened several commercial establishments and worked successfully in the textile area.
Alex, the second of four brothers, was selling business promotion keychains and uniforms when he met Álvaro Pulido – another Colombian businessman who is related to former Colombian senator Piedad Cordova – who had invited him to be his partner in several businesses in Venezuela. .
In 2016, Maduro created the Local Supply and Production Committees (CLAP), a subsidized food distribution plan at a time of shortages of more than two-thirds of basic products.
Alex Saab became one of the suppliers of this plan, achieving “important commercial agreements”, as stated in a YouTube series created by Saab himself.
In 2018, according to this version, he assumed “as a public official” the “mission” of acquiring in Russia and Iran “food, medicine, spare parts for refineries and different companies.”
The businessman is related to several companies, including Group Grand Limited (GGL), accused of supplying food and supplies with surcharges to the Maduro government.
In 2020, Saab, 51, was forced off a private jet during a refueling stop in Cape Verde, on the way to Iran, where he was going to negotiate oil agreements on behalf of the Maduro government. He is charged with money laundering conspiracy in connection with a bribery scheme that allegedly diverted $350 million from state contracts to build affordable housing on behalf of the Venezuelan government.
Who are the imprisoned Americans?
Although local media talk regarding the exchange of eight Americans imprisoned in Venezuela, Washington had identified three, whose release it had demanded since November when it agreed to ease sanctions on Venezuela.
Those three Americans are Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Joseph Cristella.
Hernandez is a 45-year-old attorney from Los Angeles, California. He was detained in March of last year on the border between Colombia and Venezuela.
Jerrel Lloyd Kenemore, 53, has been detained since early 2022. He was accused of illegally crossing into the country and other unspecified crimes.
Joseph Ryan Cristella, of Florida, was arrested last year under unclear circumstances.
Background and possible reactions
On Friday and once more on Monday, two entries in Saab’s long-dormant criminal case file were filed under seal in federal court in Miami, an indication that a deal was brewing behind the scenes.
The United States has long accused Saab of being a bagman for Maduro. The release of Saab would be seen as an important concession to Maduroan authoritarian leader who is the target of a US$15 million reward for anyone who brings him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
It is also likely that the agreement anger the Venezuelan oppositionwho has recently criticized the White House for remain impassive as the OPEC nation’s leader has repeatedly outmaneuvered the US government following the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign failed to topple him.
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