Venezuela has deported businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of former president Nicolas Maduro who is facing multiple criminal investigations in the United States, in a dramatic reversal less than three years after he was pardoned by then US President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner swap deal.
The Venezuelan immigration authority announced the decision on Saturday, saying Saab's removal was based on several ongoing US criminal investigations. While the statement did not specify where Saab had been sent, it referred to him only as a “Colombian citizen”, an apparent reference to Venezuelan laws that prohibit the extradition of Venezuelan nationals.
