WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2019) The United States believes that Colombian businessman Alex Saab Moran, an associate of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who was sanctioned for his role in a controversial Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) food distribution program, has likely fled to Russia, a US Treasury Department official said during a briefing on Monday.
"We believe that Alex Saab Moran, who is the architect of the horrific CLAP program, has probably fled to Russia and we are investigating and have frozen his assets in a number of countries so far - Panama, Italy and so on," the Treasury Department official told reporters.
Asked if Russia is cooperating in prosecuting Saab, the official said, "Obviously we don't view that Russia has been helpful in connection with Venezuela today."
The United States sanctioned Saab earlier this year for allegedly profiting from centralized imports of food to shortage-ridden Venezuela and its distribution through a network of local committees.
The Venezuelan government has said it instituted CLAP to support low-income families, but has been accused for allegedly discriminating against its political opponents under the program.
