Caracas.- The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, announced this Friday the merger of the Ministry of Industries and National Production with that of National Commerce into a “new instance” that will be led by Luis Antonio Villegas, thus replacing businessman Alex Saab, a close collaborator of President Nicolás Maduro, in the cabinet.
The announcement was made on his Telegram account, where he expressed his gratitude to Saab for “his work in the service of the Fatherland” and assured that he “will assume new responsibilities”.
Villegas was already serving as Minister of National Commerce since his appointment by Maduro in February 2024.
Saab, for his part, had been appointed by Maduro to head the Ministry of Industries and National Production in October 2024. Before the appointment, he served as president of the International Center for Productive Investment of Venezuela.
This businessman, born in Barranquilla (Colombia) and of Lebanese origin, was arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and subsequently extradited to United States, where Justice accused him of conspiracy to launder money and of being a “straw man” for the Government of Venezuela.
For this case, he was imprisoned in the United States from October 2021 to December 2023, after a presidential pardon signed by the then-U.S. President, Joe Biden.
In March 2024, the American Justice system dismissed the charges against Saab.
During his detention, his wife, the Italian Camilla Fabri, became the image of the campaign for his release launched by the Maduro government. Currently, Fabri heads the Mission Return to the Homeland, the state program that manages the repatriations of Venezuelan migrants.
Although he always maintained a low profile as a businessman, Saab gained recognition after in 2017 the former Venezuelan prosecutor Luisa Ortega accused him of being one of Maduro’s front men.
In recent years, he has been linked to several companies, including Group Grand Limited (GGL), accused of supplying overpriced food and supplies to the Maduro administration for the governmental Local Supply and Production Committees.
However, the initial complaint was made by the portal dedicated to investigative journalism Armando.info, which pointed out months earlier that Saab was then part of an asset laundering network that obtained millionaire resources through the fictitious export of food to Venezuela.
In her first ten days as acting president, following Maduro’s capture by US forces during the military attack on Caracas, Delcy Rodríguez has announced several ministerial changes.
This Friday, Freddy Ñáñez was appointed as Minister of Ecosocialism, Aníbal Coronado as the new head of Transportation, and Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela as head of the Communication and Information office.
He also appointed days ago Captain Juan Escalona, a member of Maduro’s security team, as Minister of the Office of the Presidency, and former Central Bank President Calixto Ortega as the new Vice President of Sectoral Economy.
Likewise, he dismissed the head of Security of the president, Major General Javier Marcano Tábata, and appointed in his place General Gustavo González López as commander of the Presidential Honor Guard and head of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM).
