Diosdado Cabello, Minister of People's Power for Interior Relations, Justice, and Peace of Venezuela, established this Monday the legal and political position of the Venezuelan state regarding the deportation of Alex Saab to the United States, stating that the Colombian businessman "is not Venezuelan" and that he has been carrying a fraudulent identity card since 2004.
"Citizen Alex Saab is not Venezuelan and has been presenting an identity card since 2004 that is not legal, which would not have legal backing from the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration, and Foreign Affairs (SAIME)," declared Cabello.
According to the minister, a detailed investigation by SAIME found no file certifying Saab's Venezuelan citizenship: "There is no file in SAIME that certifies that this person is Venezuelan."
Cabello also revealed a detail that, according to him, is documented: when Saab was questioned about basic information regarding his alleged Venezuelan ID, he was unable to answer.
"When asked for his ID number, he said, I don't remember. What is your ID number? I don't remember. Where did you get it? I don't remember. Who gave you the ID? I don't remember," reported the minister.
To legally justify the deportation, Cabello invoked Article 271 of the Venezuelan Constitution, which states that "in no case shall the extradition of foreigners responsible for the crimes of money laundering, drug trafficking, organized international crime, acts against the public property of other states, and against human rights be denied."
He explained that Saab was sent to the United States because that was the last country from which he had entered Venezuela: "We submitted him and he was deported, why? Towards there, because that's the last country he came from, to Venezuela. The fundamental reason."
Cabello also questioned why certain sectors of the Venezuelan opposition came out in defense of Saab, calling it "strange," and noted that the businessman’s own lawyer "spoke of relationships and agreements with U.S. intelligence agencies that were not fulfilled by Alex Saab," which, according to the minister, "is a problem he will have to clarify."
The minister also announced that, as a result of this case, investigations are underway into "all types" of fraud against the Venezuelan state.
Saab landed on Sunday at the Opa-locka Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County, escorted by U.S. federal agents, including members of the DEA.
The deportation was authorized by Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president of Venezuela, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, in the so-called "Operation Absolute Resolution."
The delivery is part of a broader diplomatic agreement between Washington and the interim government of Caracas, which also included the release of all U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela on January 31, 2026.
The deportation of Saab deepens the internal division within chavismo, as warned by Venezuelan opposition figure Andrés Velásquez: "Accusations are thrown back and forth between both sides."
The strategic value of Saab to Washington lies in his knowledge of the financial architecture of chavismo, which is seen as crucial for the legal cases against Maduro and Cilia Flores in the United States.
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