US releases Maduro’s alleged front man in prisoner swap with Venezuela

Washington/Caracas, Dec 20 (EFE).- The United States on Wednesday freed Colombian national Alex Saab, the alleged front man of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in exchange for the release of several Venezuelans and Americans held in the South American country.

The Joe Biden administration thus took a new step toward thawing relations with the Maduro government, having lifted sanctions on Venezuelan oil in response to the electoral roadmap agreed between Chavismo and the opposition in October.

Saab, who had been detained in Miami since October 2021, arrived in Caracas at 3:55 pm local time and went directly to the Miraflores presidential palace, where he was embraced by Maduro, who described him as a «brave man» and a «patriot.»

Saab, a close associate of the Venezuelan president, was arrested in Cape Verde in June 2020 and extradited to the United States in October 2021 to face federal charges for allegedly laundering up to $350 million of fraud money.

At the time, Maduro denounced Saab as a «kidnapped diplomat» and broke off dialogue with the Venezuelan opposition as a result of the extradition.

Until recently, the United States government always said that the liberation of Saab was a red line that it was not willing to cross.

Freed prisoners in Venezuela

In exchange for Saab’s return to Venezuela on Wednesday, Washington secured the release of ten Americans detained in the South American country, including Joseph Cristella, Eyvin Hernández, Jerrel Kenemore and Savoi Wright.

Although initially unconfirmed, an official American source told CNN that the list also included Luke Denman and Airan Berry, two former Green Berets imprisoned in Venezuela since 2020 for their alleged role in what Maduro called a «failed coup.»

Also the release of 20 Venezuelans considered «political prisoners,» such as lawyer Roberto Abdul, a member of the organizing committee of the opposition primaries.

In the same agreement, Venezuela also agreed to extradite to the United States the American military contractor Leonard Francis, known as «Fat Leonard,» allegedly responsible for one of the largest corruption scandals in the US Navy.

The release of American and Venezuelan prisoners was one of the conditions the Biden administration had demanded in exchange for not reimposing sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector.

Biden and Maduro celebrate agreement

In a statement, Biden celebrated the release of the prisoners and promised that he would continue to work to ensure that the Venezuelan government fulfills its «commitments» to hold democratic elections in the country.

He later revealed to a group of journalists that he had not spoken directly with Maduro, but was convinced that he would meet the «specific requirements» that Washington has demanded for free elections next year.

Senior White House officials acknowledged in a telephone press conference that Biden’s decision to release Saab was «extremely difficult» but «correct.»

Upon receiving Saab in Miraflores, Maduro revealed that Qatar mediated the prisoner exchange and expressed to Biden his willingness to maintain «personal» and «respectful» relations between the two countries.

Venezuela and the United States have not had diplomatic relations since 2019, when the former Republican Donald Trump broke with the Caribbean country.

Saab, for his part, thanked the Chavista government for the «miracle» of his release.

Republican senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and Democrat Bob Menéndez attacked Biden’s decision, which they considered a «shameful» concession to Maduro.

A turbulent relationship

The relationship between Washington and Caracas reached its lowest point in 2019, when the Trump administration recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president and tightened economic sanctions against Venezuela.

The Biden administration sought to soften relations with Maduro last year in order to cooperate on addressing the migration crisis and facilitate dialogue between Chavismo and the opposition, which had broken down with the extradition of Saab.

In October, representatives of Maduro and the opposition Unified Platform signed a roadmap for holding democratic presidential elections in 2024, after which Washington lifted oil sanctions.

Since then, the Biden administration has pushed for the release of American and Venezuelan prisoners and for the currently disqualified opposition candidate María Corina Machado to be allowed to participate in the elections. EFE

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