Maduro appoints Alex Saab, released from prison by the Biden-Harris administration, as minister of industry

Nicolás Maduro appointed Alex Saab, his front man, as the new minister of industry following the resignation of Pedro Tellechea.

"I appointed Alex Saab as the new minister of people's power for industry and national production. I am sure that, with his great managerial capacity and commitment to our people, he will drive the development of Venezuela's entire industrial system within the framework of the process of building the new economic model," Maduro said, in statements reported by AFP.

Tellechea, who claimed he was resigning due to "health problems that require immediate medical attention,” led the Ministry of People's Power for Industry and National Production for less than two months.

Saab was arrested in 2020 in Cape Verde and extradited to the United States in 2021 where he was charged with money laundering. After several negotiations with the Biden-Harris administration, the Maduro dictatorship managed to get Saab released as part of a prisoner swap. He was exchanged for 31 people who were imprisoned in Venezuela, including several Americans.

The appointment seems to make a mockery of the Biden-Harris administration. The regime has always claimed that Saab’s arrest was a form of "kidnapping" by the United States. Before assuming his new position, the new minister of industry served as president of the International Center for Productive Investment, appointed by Maduro.