Maduro ally to plead not guilty in U.S. court to money laundering charges

FILE PHOTO: Alex Saab Moran is seen in a booking photograph available to Reuters on October 17, 2021. Broward County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - A close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is expected to plead not guilty to charges of money laundering in federal court in Miami on Monday, in a case that has further strained already-frayed relations between Washington and Caracas.

Prosecutors say Alex Saab, a Colombia-born businessman and top dealmaker for Maduro's socialist government, siphoned around $350 million out of Venezuela via the United States as part of a bribery scheme linked to Venezuela's state-controlled exchange rate.