Maduro Ally Released by US in Swap for Detained Americans

Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, was released by the US on Wednesday, December 20, in exchange for 10 detained Americans.

The fugitive businessman Leonard Glenn Francis, implicated in a US Navy bribery case, was also released to US authorities. The release of 20 Venezuelan political prisoners was also agree, reports said.

Saab, a Colombian businessman, had been facing money-laundering charges in the US, which he denies.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced the return of the American detainees to the US late Wednesday.

Footage streamed live by Maduro’s office shows Saab at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, accompanied by his family and Maduro. Credit: Nicolas Maduro via Storyful