Alex Saab guilty — Alex Saab, a former Venezuelan industry minister and close ally of ex-president Nicolás Maduro, pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in a United States court on Tuesday, September 15, 2019. As part of a plea deal with American authorities, Saab agreed to forfeit $195 million and cooperate with federal investigations into an alleged corruption scheme in Venezuela.

Prosecutors allege Saab participated in a bribery network to obtain lucrative public contracts. He was extradited to the US in May by Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, after being formally charged in 2019 during the first administration of Donald Trump. Saab was arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 during a refueling stop, a move Venezuela claimed was an obstruction of a humanitarian mission to Iran.

The money laundering charge carries a maximum 20-year sentence. Prosecutors have pledged to recommend a sentence near the minimum and seek further reductions if Saab’s cooperation proves substantial. His assistance may also extend to investigations involving four other unnamed defendants.