US EditionVenezuela Interim Leader Sacks Alex Saab as Minister Amid Pressure From US
- On Friday, interim President Delcy Rodríguez dismissed Alex Saab as minister of industry and merged the Ministry of Industry with the Commerce Ministry, thanking Saab for his service and new responsibilities.
- Pressure from Washington prompted a cabinet reshuffle after the January 3 US military raid, with John Ratcliffe's Caracas visit and a U.S. deportation flight carrying 231 Venezuelans signaling closer ties.
- Saab's trajectory shows that he was arrested in 2020 in Cape Verde on an Interpol notice, released in a 2023 prisoner exchange, and appointed to office by Maduro in October 2024.
- Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado criticised Rodríguez and said `We are definitely now into the first steps of a true transition to democracy` on Friday, following Saab's dismissal amid US pressure.
- U.S. backing appears conditional on access to Venezuela's oil, with President Donald Trump supporting Delcy Rodríguez so long as she permits U.S. oil access.
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Delcy Rodríguez has begun to move the pieces of his cabinet mainly in key sectors such as the economy, his personal security and communications, at a time when he seeks stability in his new relationship with the United States. The complex balance of power factors that kept the Chavismo cohesive has broken after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores during a military intervention by the U.S. special forces on January 3. Among th…
The announcement was made in his Telegram account, where he thanked Saab for "his work at the service of the Fatherland" and assured that he would "take on new responsibilities"
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez dismissed yesterday as Minister of Industry the Colombian businessman Alex Saab, accused in Mexico of laundering money through the resale of pantry for social programs in Venezuela. Saab was in charge of importing food from the Venezuelan government program CLAP. In 2018, he was part of a group of people and companies sanctioned by Mexico for profiting from food support for Venezuela. He was appointed by the Pres…
Of Colombian origin, the businessman headed the Ministry of Industry in Venezuela. He was imprisoned in the United States and was released in 2023. They said he will have new functions, but they did not give details.
This expulsion of Alex Saab from the Venezuelan government is part of a context where the United States takes over the country.
Venezuela's interim president on Friday fired businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of ousted leader Nicolas Maduro, from his post.
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