Miami, US (EFE).- Former Venezuelan Minister Alex Saab, whom the United States has identified as an alleged frontman for former President Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiring to launder money and conduct illicit financial transactions. He announced that he accepted the plea deal without threat or inducement.
Appearing in person in a Miami courtroom, Saab changed his «not guilty» plea, which he had entered on Jul. 24, to a guilty plea during a hearing before Judge Kathleen M. Williams in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He appeared with gray, pulled-back hair, a beard, and an ochre prison uniform.
«Guilty, Your Honor,» the 54-year-old oil executive stated at the hearing, according to EFE.
The judge reviewed the 12-page agreement that Saab reached with the US Prosecutor General’s Office, the details of which were not disclosed.
The former Venezuelan official of Colombian origin could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Saab, who will receive his final sentence in Jan. 2027, acknowledged that he and unidentified accomplices conspired to engage in illicit activities, commit fraud, bribe public officials, and conceal the source of funds.
At the time of the hearing, the authorities did not disclose the details of the agreement, yet the former minister under ex-President Maduro, who was ousted by the US in January and is currently imprisoned in New York, affirmed that there was «no» deal beyond the one presented to the US Prosecutor General’s Office, nor were there any threats to coerce him into pleading guilty.
Saab appeared in a US court for the first time on May 18, two days after his deportation from Venezuela, which is now under the interim presidency of Delcy Rodríguez.
According to the Department of Justice, the case involves the exploitation of a social assistance program intended to provide food to vulnerable Venezuelans and alleged transfers to bank accounts in the US.
The case is significant because it follows Maduro’s arrival in New York in January, where he faces charges of “narco-terrorism,” drug trafficking, and weapons possession.
Saab had previously faced money laundering charges in Miami but was released in 2023 during Joe Biden’s administration as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela. He returned to Venezuela, where he was appointed Minister of Industries and National Production.
The businessman has stated that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder following his 2020 arrest in Cape Verde and subsequent extradition to the US. As a result, he takes antidepressants every night to help him sleep.EFE
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