Venezuela Says It Deported A Close Ally Of Maduro

MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela’s government says it has deported a close ally of Nicolás Maduro to face judicial proceedings in the U.S. less than three years after the business owner was pardoned by President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner swap. The Venezuelan government in a statement Saturday did not explicitly say where it had deported Alex Saab but said its decision was based on several ongoing criminal investigations in the U.S. The Associated Press reported in February that federal prosecutors have been digging for month into Saab’s role in an alleged bribery conspiracy involving Venezuelan government contracts to import food.