Venezuelan Maduro ally Alex Saab pleads guilty to $195m money laundering scheme

Alex Saab, a Colombian-Venezuelan businessman and former close aide to ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in US federal court in Miami to money laundering and fraud charges. Saab admitted to organising a system of bribes to Venezuelan officials that enabled companies under his secret control to win government contracts for food and medicine imports.

The scheme centred on Venezuela's CLAP welfare programme, established to distribute subsidised food during the country's economic crisis. According to the US Justice Department, Saab and his associates used fake companies, false invoices, and fraudulent shipping records to embezzle hundreds of millions of dollars intended for public benefit. The proceeds were then laundered through shell companies in the United States and abroad. Saab also exploited ties to Venezuelan officials to gain access to oil owned by state firm PDVSA, which he sold under false pretences in violation of US sanctions.

As part of the plea deal, Saab, 54, must forfeit $195 million in criminal proceeds and cooperate fully with US prosecutors. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, though prosecutors have agreed to recommend a low-end sentence and seek further reductions if his cooperation proves substantial. A sentencing date has not been set. The plea agreement stipulates that Saab "will not protect any person or identity through false information or omission," raising speculation he may testify against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who face trial in New York next year on weapon and drug charges, which they both deny.

Saab was extradited to the US in May 2026 by Venezuela's interim government under Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed power after Maduro was removed. This marks Saab's second prosecution in the United States. He was first arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and extradited on similar charges, but former US President Joe Biden granted him clemency in December 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange. A new indictment followed in January 2026. US Attorney Jason Reding Quinones stated the case "sends a clear message: political connections, wealth and proximity to a corrupt regime will not put anyone beyond the reach of American justice."