What’s Known on the Arrest of Maduro’s Front Man Alex Saab
Colombian media report that the businessman was captured. Pro-government officials have not commented on the matter.
HAVANA TIMES — During the afternoon of February 4, reports circulated in various Colombian media outlets — and later in news agencies — about the detention of Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Álex Saab, a controversial figure close to Nicolas Maduro, according to multiple reports citing US and Venezuelan intelligence sources.
The detention, Colombian outlets such as Caracol Radio and La Silla Vacía report, allegedly took place in a joint operation between Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and the United States’ FBI agents in the early hours of Wednesday at Saab’s residence, located in the Cerro Verde neighborhood, east of Caracas.
Businessman Raul Gorrin, director of the Venezuelan TV network Globovisión and sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, was also reportedly detained in the operation.
Unofficial information indicates that Saab remains in custody at El Helicoide, while authorities evaluate his possible extradition to the United States, where he would face pending accusations of money laundering and corruption.
Reuters news agency Reuters reported that a Washington official confirmed the detention but has not provided further details about it.
His Past Follows Him
Saab, born in Barranquilla, Colombia, gained international notoriety in 2020 when authorities in Cape Verde detained him at Washington’s request. He was extradited to the United States in October 2021. There he was accused of conspiring to launder hundreds of millions of dollars through food contracts with the Venezuelan government (the CLAP program) and of paying bribes to government officials.
He remained imprisoned until December 2023, when then-President Joe Biden granted him a pardon as part of a prisoner exchange that freed several US citizens detained in Venezuela.
After his return to Caracas, Maduro incorporated him into the government: first as president of the International Center for Productive Investments in 2024 and later as Minister of Industry and National Production in October of that year. However, following the capture of Maduro by US special forces on January 3, 2026, interim ruler Delcy Rodríguez removed Saab from the post on January 16 and merged that ministry with the Ministry of Commerce.
In parallel, Saab has accumulated a conviction in Italy for money laundering linked to the purchase of a luxury apartment in Rome with allegedly illicit funds originating from operations in Venezuela.
The alleged capture comes amid Venezuela’s political transition, with rapprochement between Rodriguez’s interim government and Washington to discuss economic stabilization and reconciliation.
As of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon there was still no official confirmation from either the Venezuelan government or the United States regarding the exact charges that may have motivated the detention or the extradition process.
So far, only the account of Roigar Lopez — who once led the “Free Alex Saab” movement — has responded to the reports, denying the detention. This was published on the pro-government portal Venezuela News, which removed the story from its homepage within minutes.
Likewise, Luigi Giuliano, the businessman’s lawyer, and his wife Camilla Fabri denied the detention in statements to the Colombian outlet El Espectador, calling it “fake news.” “He is calm at his home in Caracas,” they said.
Editors Note: An announcement from the US and Venezuelan governments should be forthcoming.
Published in Spanish by Efecto Cocuyo and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.