By Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff
May 18 (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors charged Alex Saab, known as the “bag man” for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with money laundering over his alleged exploitation of a Venezuelan welfare plan, according to court filings unsealed on Monday.
Saab, a top ally of Maduro’s, was deported by Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez over the weekend to the U.S. in a move that she said was “justified by national interests.”
The deportation signaled a new level of coordination between the Trump administration and Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president.
Saab, the 55-year-old former Venezuelan minister of industry, conspired to bribe Venezuelan officials and transferred money through U.S. bank accounts to enrich himself, prosecutors alleged. He made his initial court appearance on Monday afternoon in a Miami federal court.
The charges come as the administration of President Donald Trump prepares to try Maduro, who was captured by U.S. special forces in Caracas earlier this year.
Saab could provide U.S. authorities with information to strengthen their criminal case against Maduro, Reuters previously reported.
“These charges are a direct result of DEA’s continued commitment to dismantle the corrupt networks operating throughout Venezuela,” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrance Cole.
(Reporting by Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Bill Berkrot)
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