Alex Saab pleads guilty in US money-laundering case

Alex Saab agreed in a US federal court to plead guilty to a money-laundering charge and to forfeit $195 million tied to an alleged Venezuelan bribery scheme, according to Euronews. Prosecutors said the Colombia-born businessman will cooperate with ongoing US investigations, a condition that can reduce sentencing exposure on a charge that carries up to 20 years in prison.

Saab’s case has moved across jurisdictions and administrations for years. US authorities first charged him in 2019, then arrested him in 2020 during a refuelling stop in Cape Verde. Caracas insisted at the time that he was on a humanitarian mission bound for Iran, an argument that framed his detention as sanctions politics rather than ordinary criminal process. He was later pardoned in 2023 by then president Joe Biden as part of a deal to free several US citizens held in Venezuela, a swap that drew criticism from Republicans and some senior law-enforcement officials. Euronews reports that new investigations were opened after the pardon over alleged conduct not covered by it.

The guilty plea now turns a once-symbolic figure into a potential witness. Saab has long been described by US authorities as a financial operator for Nicolás Maduro, and Euronews notes he could be called to testify about Maduro’s character as the Venezuelan leader awaits trial in Manhattan on drug-related charges after being captured in a US military operation earlier this year. Prosecutors also said Saab’s cooperation may extend to investigations involving four co-defendants whose names have not been disclosed, suggesting the government is using the plea not just to close a case but to widen it.

The timing also intersects with Washington’s renewed bargaining over Venezuelan oil. Euronews describes the proceedings as unfolding as the Trump administration reshapes relations with Venezuela and pursues access to the country’s reserves, including a recently announced partnership with Venezuelan oil tycoon Alejandro Betancourt. In that setting, criminal cases and sanctions enforcement become a parallel channel of negotiation: cooperation, forfeiture, and sentencing recommendations can all be traded for information that affects who gets targeted next, and who gets access to what.

In court, Saab told Judge Kathleen Williams that he takes the antidepressant Zoloft daily and uses other medication for post-traumatic stress disorder following his 2020 arrest, Euronews reports. He also agreed to hand over the $195 million prosecutors say came from the corruption scheme.