Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a close ally of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, was arrested in Venezuela on Wednesday as part of a joint operation between U.S. and Venezuelan authorities, a U.S. law enforcement official said.

Saab, who is Colombian-born and is 54 years old, is a former businessman who was previously held in the United States. He was detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and remained in U.S. custody for more than three years on bribery charges. Later, he was granted clemency in exchange for the release of Americans held in Venezuela.

However, reports of Saab’s arrest were immediately questioned. Colombian newspaper El Espectador cited Saab’s lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, who denied the arrest and described it as "fake news." Journalists aligned with Venezuela’s government also denied on social media that Saab had been arrested.

Giuliano later told Venezuelan news site TalCual that Saab might appear publicly to confirm what happened. He added that Saab was consulting with the government regarding the situation.

Venezuela’s top lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez, also did not confirm the reports. During an evening press conference, he said the matter was not under his responsibility and that he had no information regarding the possible arrest.

Giuliano did not immediately respond to emails sent to addresses listed on a law firm website. Meanwhile, a lawyer who represented Saab in a U.S. court in December 2023 declined to comment.

According to the U.S. official, Saab is expected to be extradited to the United States in the coming days.

The development would be significant, coming just a month after Maduro himself was captured by U.S. forces in Caracas. It could also suggest a new level of cooperation between U.S. and Venezuelan law enforcement under the government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s former deputy.

The U.S. official pointed out the importance of Rodriguez’s cooperation in the joint operation. As interim leader, Rodriguez controls Venezuela’s law enforcement agencies and their actions.

The U.S. Justice Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. official also said that Raul Gorrin, head of Venezuela’s Globovision TV network, was arrested in the same operation.

Lawyers for Gorrin could not immediately be identified. Globovision did not respond to a call or email from Reuters. Venezuela’s communications ministry also did not respond to a request for comment.

Before his clemency in 2023, U.S. officials accused Saab of siphoning around $350 million out of Venezuela through the United States in a bribery scheme connected to Venezuela’s state-controlled exchange rate.

Saab denied the charges and appealed to have them dismissed, claiming diplomatic immunity. At the time of the prisoner swap, an appeals court had not ruled on his appeal.

Saab returned to Venezuela at the end of 2023 with major public attention. Maduro praised his loyalty to the socialist revolution and celebrated him as a national hero.

Maduro later appointed Saab as industry minister. He held the post until last month, when he was removed by interim President Delcy Rodriguez.