AssetID: 56022665
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Maduro Ally Alex Saab Set to Change Plea in US Corruption Case
Caption: Maduro Ally Alex Saab Set to Change Plea in US Corruption Case. Alex Saab, a Colombian-born businessman and close ally of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, is expected to change his plea in a US corruption case on Tuesday. Saab is due to appear before a federal judge in Miami, although it remains unclear whether he will plead guilty or what conditions could be attached to any agreement. US prosecutors have accused him of conspiring to launder money allegedly stolen from a Venezuelan welfare programme intended to provide food to vulnerable people. They allege that millions of dollars from the scheme were transferred into US bank accounts, while Saab pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in July. This is Saab's second US prosecution, after he was previously extradited from Cape Verde in 2021 over allegations that he siphoned $350 million from Venezuela through a bribery scheme. Saab was granted clemency by then-President Joe Biden in December 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange, before returning to Venezuela and later serving as Maduro's industry minister. The development comes as Maduro himself remains in US custody after pleading not guilty to drug-trafficking charges, with his trial currently scheduled for June 2027. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Current Affairs & Politics,Nicolás Maduro,Alex Saab,minister,bribery,fraud,scheme,vulnerable people,transfer,millions,US banks,Miami,court,plea,change,corruption
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