Alex Saab, the Colombian businessman accused by U.S. prosecutors of serving as a financial operator for Venezuela’s government, is scheduled for a change-of-plea hearing Tuesday in Miami federal court, signaling he may plead guilty in a money-laundering case involving Venezuela’s CLAP food program and PDVSA oil sales.
Archivo ENH
Miami
Alex Saab, the Colombian businessman accused of serving as a financial front man for Venezuela’s government, appears poised to plead guilty Tuesday in a new federal money-laundering case in Miami, after a judge scheduled a change-of-plea hearing and canceled his upcoming jury trial.
The hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams in Miami, signaling that a case that once appeared headed for a November jury trial may instead be approaching a negotiated resolution.
The court has canceled both the trial and a previously scheduled Zoom calendar call and removed them from Williams’ calendar. Such a move typically occurs when a defendant has reached, or is preparing to formally enter, a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Exactly what Saab, 55, intends to admit remains unclear. Court records do not yet publicly disclose the terms of any agreement with prosecutors, and the docket entry scheduling Tuesday’s proceeding lists the case caption as “USA v. SEALED” rather than under Saab’s name.
Saab is currently charged with one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, an offense carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He pleaded not guilty in July.
Tuesday’s expected plea would represent a remarkable second turn through Miami’s federal criminal justice system for a businessman who for years occupied a central position in the confrontation between Washington and Venezuela’s government.
This is a developing story. Will be updated
el Nuevo Herald
Galardonado periodista con más de 30 años de experiencia, especializado en la cobertura de temas sobre Venezuela. Amante de la historia y la literatura.