The Daily Journal — Judge Lauren F. Louis of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted former minister Alex Saab permission to skip Friday’s scheduled hearing in the money laundering case against him in the United States.
Saab’s defense team also requested that the court enter a not guilty plea on his behalf in response to the charges brought by U.S. prosecutors.
In a filing submitted to the court on July 14, the defense argued that the former minister had already received notice of the indictment, the potential penalties if convicted, and his constitutional rights, according to EFE.
Maduro’s alleged frontman
Saab made his first appearance before a federal court in Miami on May 18, two days after Venezuelan authorities deported him to the United States.
U.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in connection with the alleged diversion of funds from Venezuela’s public food assistance programs and the illegal sale of crude oil owned by state-run PDVSA. Prosecutors allege that the scheme continued through at least January 2026.
According to court records, federal prosecutors claim Saab conspired to bribe Venezuelan public officials to secure contracts under the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) program.
The indictment states that Saab relied on shell companies, fraudulent invoices, and falsified shipping records to report fake imports from Colombia and Mexico, allowing him to divert funds intended to assist vulnerable Venezuelans.
Authorities have long considered Saab a close ally of Nicolás Maduro. He previously faced money laundering charges in the United States. After authorities arrested him in Cabo Verde in 2020 and extradited him to the United States, the administration of President Joe Biden released him in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela.
Saab later returned to Caracas, where the government appointed him Minister of Industries and National Production.
If the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida finds him guilty, Saab could receive a prison sentence of up to 20 years in a U.S. federal correctional facility.
With information from EFE.
