MIAMI — In 2018, a Colombian businessman was secretly identified by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a cooperating source. He gave agents details about the bribes that he paid to Venezuelan officials.
As part of his cooperation agreement, Alex Saab lost nearly $10 million of his fortune. This included meetings with U.S. authorities in Colombia and elsewhere.
After failing to comply with a May 30, 2019 deadline, he was removed from the list of sources. He was then indicted by Miami federal court for siphoning millions from state contracts in order to build affordable housing in Venezuela’s socialist government.
According to the U.S., Saab was the main conduit for Venezuelan corruption. He benefited from lucrative contracts to import food and made millions of dollars while South American nations starved. He is considered a diplomat, who was abducted while on a humanitarian mission that was made more urgent due to U.S. sanctions.