Alex Saab pleads guilty in US court to laundering bribe and fraud proceeds linked to Venezuela’s welfare programme.
Published On 16 Sep 2026
Alex Saab, a Colombian-Venezuelan businessman and close ally of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, pleaded guilty in a US federal court to laundering proceeds from a bribery and fraud scheme.
Saab, a former Venezuelan minister of industry, admitted on Tuesday before US District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami to organising a system of bribes to Venezuelan officials, enabling companies he secretly controlled to win government contracts to import food and medicine.
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According to the US Justice Department, the fraudulent contracts fell under CLAP, a Venezuelan welfare programme meant to distribute subsidised food to the public during the country’s economic collapse.
The US Attorney’s…
PROCUREMENT & EXPENDITURE (STOPPING KICKBACKS)
Procurement fraud usually involves inflated invoices or “fictitious” vendors.
- The Three-Way Match: Never pay an invoice unless you have matched the Purchase Order (PO), the Delivery Note (signed), and the Supplier Invoice.
- Vendor Master File Review: Review your vendor list annually. Look for suppliers with the same bank details or physical addresses as your employees.
- Dual Authorization: Implement a “Two-to-Sign” rule for all EFT payments above a certain threshold (e.g., R5,000).
- No “Cashing” of Checks: If you still use physical checks, strictly prohibit “Cash” as a payee and store blank checks in a dual-lock safe.