Venezuela interim leader sacks industry minister, a Maduro ally

CARACAS: Venezuela’s interim president on Friday dismissed businessman Alex Saab, accused of working as a front man for deposed leader Nicolas Maduro, from his post as minister of industry.

In a Telegram message, Delcy Rodriguez announced the ministry would be combined with a commerce ministry and thanked Saab — a Colombian-born Venezuelan — “for his service to the Homeland; he will be taking on new responsibilities.”

The change comes amid pressure from Washington following the January 3 US military raid that ousted Maduro.

Saab, released in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States, was appointed to office in 2024 by Maduro.

A confidant of then-president Maduro, Saab was arrested during a 2020 refueling stopover in Cape Verde due to an Interpol notice over accusations he had served as a money launderer for the socialist leader.

He was extradited to the United States where he and his business partner Alvaro Pulido were charged with running a network that exploited food aid destined for Venezuela.

Upon his release, Saab was given a hero’s welcome in Caracas. He assumed office as minister of industry in October 2024.

Saab’s dismissal is among the latest key changes to Venezuela’s government by Rodriguez since the US capture of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.