Arraignment date set for Venezuela envoy Saab accused of money laundering

People gather in support of Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and Venezuelan government envoy who was extradited from Cape Verde to the U.S. on charges of money laundering, in Caracas, Venezuela October 17, 2021. REUTERS/Leonardo Ferdandez Viloria

MIAMI (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Monday set a Nov. 1 arraignment date for Alex Saab, a businessman accused of laundering money on behalf of Venezuela's government, in a case that pits the United States against the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro.

U.S. prosecutors in 2019 charged Saab in connection with a bribery scheme linked to Venezuela's state-controlled exchange rate. They have accused Saab and an ally of siphoning around $350 million out of Venezuela and into overseas accounts via the United States. Washington has also imposed sanctions on Saab over accusations he orchestrated a scheme that enabled him and Maduro to profit from a state-run food distribution program.