Álex, Saab, once imprisoned in the United States for money laundering and for allegedly being the front man of Nicolás Maduro, was appointed this Friday as Minister of Industry and National Production, replacing Pedro Tellechea, dismissed unexpectedly after only two months in office. Saab was released in December 2023 during a prisoner exchange between Caracas and Washington, after several agreements between the two countries, which included holding presidential elections in July of this year.
Saab, businessman from Barranquilla Arriving in the mid-2000s in Venezuela in search of luck, he obtained important contracts with Chavismo, such as that of the food box distribution boxes called CLAP. In parallel, it was in charge of the construction of public housing. For a long time he was a shadow businessman, although very connected to Maduro and the entire leadership of the Venezuelan Government. However, an investigation by the Armando.info portal into the poor quality of CLAP, with expired milk and other products, brought his name to light, which was subsequently associated with corruption.
Maduro reported the appointment through Telegram, where he said that Saab “will promote the development of the entire industrial system of Venezuela within the framework of the process of constructing the new economic model” and wished him “all the support for the immense task that he has to face.” achieve”. The American justice system has always suspected that Saab is a front man for the president of Venezuela, who has helped him hide a large fortune. The Colombian was arrested in June 2020 in Cape Verde, where he had stopped to refuel his plane, which was returning from Tehran. There he was arrested and later sent to Miami. The FBI had been on his trail for some time.
