Alex Saab pleads not guilty to US money laundering charges

Colombian businessman Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty on Friday to U.S. money laundering charges. Saab's lawyers entered the plea on his behalf during a hearing in Miami federal court.

Venezuela deported Saab in May to face the charges. The Miami U.S. Attorney's Office accuses Saab of stealing millions of dollars from a welfare plan intended to buy food for Venezuelans, and transferring some of the illicit proceeds to U.S. bank accounts.

Saab was previously detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and subsequently taken to the U.S. In 2023, President Joe Biden granted him clemency in exchange for the release of Americans detained in Venezuela. Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's former vice president, stated that Saab's deportation was "justified by national interests."