Venezuela releases 10 US hostages in exchange for Maduro ally
Dec 22, 2023
Washington [US], December 22: Venezuela has agreed to release 10 US hostages and extradite a fugitive billionaire in exchange for the release of Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro.
Six Americans who have been wrongfully detained in Venezuela - Eyvin Hernandez, Savoi Wright, Jerrel Kenemore, Joseph Cristella, Jason Saad, and Edgar Jose Marval Moreno - landed at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, Wednesday night, CNN reports.
As part of a prisoner swap deal, Leonard Francis, who is also known as "Fat Leonard," will be extradited from Venezuela to the United States. "He will be on a plane, hopefully very soon, on his way back to a federal detention facility," senior Biden administration officials announced Wednesday.
In return, the US Government will release Alex Saab, a close aide of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Saab was extradited to the US in 2021, and is facing allegations of laundering money on behalf of the Maduro government.
"In order to make this exchange, the President had to make the extremely difficult decision to offer something that the Venezuelan counterparts have actively sought, and he made the decision to grant clemency to Alex Saab, who is pending trial for money laundering, and allow his return to Venezuela in what was essentially an exchange of 10 Americans and a fugitive from justice for one person returned to Venezuela," a US official said at a White House news conference Wednesday.
Source: Qatar Tribune
