NEW YORK, March 14 /TASS/. The US and Venezuelan governments are discussing the potential extradition of Alex Saab, former Minister of Industry and National Production under President Nicolas Maduro, Bloomberg reports, citing sources.

According to them, the Miami prosecutor’s office is preparing charges against Saab, presumably for money laundering. The agency notes that "whether or not he’s brought to the US, officials there want Saab’s testimony to help build their case against Maduro." If Caracas extradites Saab to the US, it "would represent the most significant legal cooperation" between the two countries in recent times and could open a "new front" in investigations against associates of the ousted president, the agency writes.

Saab was removed from his post in the Venezuelan government and detained shortly after being taken into US custody in February, Bloomberg notes. The country’s authorities have not announced any charges against him. In addition to Saab, US authorities are seeking the extradition of "dozens" of financiers, civilian officials, and military officers. However, under the Venezuelan constitution, the country cannot extradite its own citizens. According to the agency, Saab, a native of Colombia, may be stripped of his Venezuelan citizenship due to this fact.

In 2020, Saab was detained in Cape Verde at the request of the United States while his plane made a technical stop, and he was later extradited to the US to face money laundering charges. In 2023, he was pardoned by President Joe Biden and returned to Venezuela as part of a prisoner exchange agreement.