LatinNews Daily - 19 May 2026

*Alex Saab, the Colombian citizen who allegedly coordinated Venezuela’s sanctions evasion efforts under former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), has been charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in the Southern District Court of Florida. Saab, who was extradited from Venezuela on 16 May, was allegedly involved in “a sprawling international money laundering conspiracy involving the corruption and exploitation of a Venezuelan public welfare program intended to provide food to vulnerable Venezuelans”, according to a statement released yesterday by the US Department of Justice. Saab allegedly bribed Venezuelan officials to secure food import contracts under the Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción (Clap) scheme, siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars which were allegedly laundered through US banks. The statement adds that Saab and his co-conspirators also allegedly “gained access to billions of dollars’ worth of oil owned by Venezuelan state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) and sold it under false pretenses”, with these proceeds also laundered through US banks. President Delcy Rodríguez yesterday justified the decision to extradite Saab, who was formerly a key player in the ruling Chavista movement. Rodríguez said that the extradition was in “Venezuela’s interests” and downplayed his case as “matters between the US and Alex Saab”. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said yesterday that Saab had committed various acts of fraud in Venezuela including using a false identity document.

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