CARACAS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan authorities said Saturday that former Industry and Production Minister Alex Saab had been deported under the country's immigration law to face investigation in the United States over alleged crimes.
Saab is suspected of committing multiple crimes in the United States and the deportation procedure was carried out in accordance with Venezuelan law, the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration and Foreigners, or SAIME, said in a statement.
The agency said that Saab holds Colombian nationality.
Also a businessman long accused by Washington of helping the Venezuelan government evade sanctions and of involvement in money laundering and other alleged criminal activities, Saab was arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and later extradited to the United States. He was released in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap between Caracas and Washington.
He had served since 2024 as Venezuela's minister of industry and national production and head of the International Center for Productive Investment, before leaving office in January this year. ■
