Maduro ally pleads guilty in $195m money laundering case in US court
Alex Saab, a former aide to the ex-Venezuelan president, agrees to "co-operate fully" with US prosecutors.
Maduro ally pleads guilty in $195m money laundering case in US court
Alex Saab, a former Venezuelan official and aide to ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has pleaded guilty in the US to money laundering charges.
The US case against Saab has been closely followed because Maduro and his wife, former First Lady Cilia Flores, are due to stand trial next year in New York on weapon and drug charges, which they deny.
Under the plea agreement, Saab, 54, must forfeit $195m (£145m) and agree to cooperate fully with US prosecutors. He could receive a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Saab's plea deal has prompted speculation that he may testify against Maduro at trial.
Saab accepted the deal on Tuesday in a court in Miami, Florida, after previously saying he would fight the charges.
He was extradited to the US in May by Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who replaced Maduro.
Saab, a former Columbian businessman, was accused of embezzling money from a welfare plan for hungry Venezuelans and moving some of the proceeds into US bank accounts.
Venezuela has suffered persistent shortages of food and medicine amid years of political and economic crisis.
"Criminals like Alex Saab who stole from the people of Venezuela and worked to exploit and misuse American financial institutions to fund illicit activities will be held accountable by this FBI," said FBI Director Kash Patel.
The plea agreement does not directly refer to the case against Maduro in New York.
However, it states that Saab "will not protect any person or identity through false information or omission".
This is the second US criminal case against Saab.
In 2020, he was extradited to face money laundering charges for allegedly siphoning $350m out of Venezuela.
But former US President Joe Biden granted him clemency in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap.