Prisoner Exchange Deal Reached Between U.S. and Venezuela
Washington — In a significant development, the Biden administration has successfully negotiated a prisoner exchange deal with Venezuela. According to reliable sources, this deal will result in the release of one of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's close allies from U.S. custody in exchange for at least eight Americans held in Venezuela. Some of these Americans are designated as wrongfully detained.
The agreement is expected to involve the release of additional individuals who are currently in custody in both the United States and Venezuela. As per the usual practice in such cases, the swap will likely occur in a third country.
The key figure in this exchange is Alex Nain Saab Morán, a Colombian national and a close associate of President Maduro. Saab was charged with money laundering in Florida back in 2019 and was apprehended in 2020 in the Republic of Cabo Verde while en route to Iran. He was later extradited to the United States in the following year to face criminal prosecution. Saab has pleaded not guilty, and his legal team has been actively seeking the dismissal of his case by invoking diplomatic immunity.
Federal prosecutors have accused Saab and another co-conspirator of bribing Venezuelan officials to gain illegal business advantages and launder money. According to investigators, Saab allegedly signed a contract with the Venezuelan government in 2011 to build low-income housing and then submitted false documents to receive around $350 million in reimbursements. He is said to have used the government-controlled currency exchange system to transfer the funds from Venezuela to the United States and then to foreign accounts.
In 2019, Saab was sanctioned by the U.S. for allegedly exploiting the Venezuelan people and participating in a corrupt bribery scheme that benefited himself and other leaders connected to Maduro. The scheme involved the misuse of government-controlled industries for personal gain.
The State Department has designated three Americans in Venezuela, Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, and Joseph Cristella, as wrongfully detained. Another American, Savoi Wright, was recently arrested by Venezuelan authorities.
In a letter obtained exclusively by CBS News, Hernandez pleaded with President Joe Biden to secure his release. He has been held captive for approximately 20 months and expressed his desire for his own freedom and the freedom of his fellow detainees.
Kenemore, in a separate recording obtained by CBS News, called for "maximum positive pressure" on Joe Biden from prison. He mentioned that there is a potential deal on the table to exchange prisoners, including a highly important individual, believed to be Saab.
He did not indicate how he knew of the potential deal or who asked him to share the details. It is not clear if that recording was coerced.
Saab's U.S. prosecution sparked an outcry from Venezuela's government and activists in the U.S., and his defense team embarked on a concerted legal effort to get the case against him dismissed in federal court. They argued in court documents that he was acting as a Venezuelan special envoy working with Iranian officials at the time of his arrest and should be shielded from prosecution for reasons of diplomatic immunity.
Saab is still listed as presently being held in federal custody in Miami, according to the Bureau of Prison's website. Saab's defense attorney, Neil Schuster, has not responded to CBS News' requests for comment.
Venezuela's Maduro regime presents one of the vexing geopolitical crises in America's backyard, given that it is the source of the largest migration crisis in the Western Hemisphere and increasingly close to both Iran and Russia. During the Trump administration, the U.S. indicted Maduro and other high-profile government officials in 2020 for crimes related to narco-terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking.
Venezuela's Government Agrees to Open 2024 Presidential Election to Opposition Candidates
In October, the government of Venezuela reached an agreement that would allow opposition candidates to participate in the country's 2024 presidential election. The negotiations for this deal, known as the "Barbados Agreement," were facilitated by Norway. This move was seen as a positive step towards meeting the Biden administration's call for open and fair elections. The initial stages of the agreement were expected to be completed by November 30.
In order to encourage further progress towards fair elections, the United States decided to lift some sanctions on Venezuela. This included allowing the sale of oil, gas, and gold. However, the State Department issued a warning stating that if Venezuela failed to open its elections to opposition candidates and release wrongfully detained individuals, both U.S. nationals and Venezuelan political prisoners, by the November 30 deadline, the lifted sanctions would be reinstated. Although the deadline passed without significant progress on the release of detainees, the State Department expressed deep concern but refrained from reimposing sanctions.
In the past, the U.S. and Venezuelan governments have engaged in prisoner exchanges. One notable exchange occurred in October 2022 when seven Americans who had been wrongfully detained in Venezuela were released in exchange for two nephews of Maduro's wife. Among the released Americans were five individuals known as the "Citgo 6," a group of oil executives from the Houston-based Citgo refining company. They had been held captive in Venezuela for a period of five years.
Last December, a unique agreement was reached between the United States and Russia. In order to secure the release of WNBA player Britney Griner, who was detained at a Russian airport in February, the U.S. agreed to swap a notorious Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death". This unexpected exchange took place after Griner pleaded guilty to charges related to the discovery of cannabis-derived oil cartridges in her luggage. It was later revealed that Griner had unknowingly brought the cartridges with her while traveling to Russia to play in a basketball league during the WNBA offseason.
