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Venezuela – Armando.info: Perseverance: The Alex Saab Case and the Power of Long-Form Journalism

Armando.info is a community of journalists founded in Venezuela amid the crisis and media censorship in the country. Its goal is to provide an independent platform that supports and assists Venezuelan and Latin American journalists in reporting well-written, in-depth transnational stories that have no place elsewhere.

The platform is a leading source in Venezuela for investigative journalism on money laundering, human rights, and environmental issues, through well-told stories supported and mentored by professionals and global journalist networks. Examples of international collaborations include the Panama Papers, WikiLeaks and the kleptocracy and corruption scandal involving the Colombian businessman Alex Saab and the Venezuelan Government.

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> The Story

The investigative reporting by the website Armando.info on the Alex Saab case is a major milestone in Venezuelan investigative journalism, with significant impact and reach throughout Latin America. This media outlet’s coverage of the Alex Saab case uncovered, documented, and exposed the largest kleptocracy and money-laundering network operated by the Venezuelan government, revealing the hidden connections of his assets, his ties to high-ranking Venezuelan officials, and the network’s ramifications.

Alex Saab is a Colombian businessman and financial operator identified by United States authorities as the primary figurehead for Nicolás Maduro, former president of Venezuela. According to the U.S., Alex Saab designed a global network of shell companies to evade sanctions, import food to Venezuela at inflated prices, and move assets belonging to the Venezuelan regime.

In June 2020, Alex Saab was arrested in Cape Verde during a layover on a flight to Iran and was subsequently extradited to the United States in October 2021 on money laundering charges. In December 2023, he was pardoned by then-U.S. President Joe Biden and released as part of a prisoner exchange to free Americans detained in Venezuela. Between 2024 and 2026, he acted as Venezuelan Minister of Industries and National Production, having been appointed by Nicolás Maduro in late 2024. Recently, following Maduro’s downfall, he was removed from his government post in early 2026 to be deported from Venezuela to the United States to face charges in U.S. justice.

This ongoing investigation by Armando.Info has set off alarms regarding the corruption network within Venezuela and its tentacles. Saab began securing lucrative contracts with the Chavista regime and the Venezuelan government starting in 2011. Armando.Info exposed the Colombian businessman’s global corruption network and has continued to monitor, report on, and investigate the Saab case despite censorship, lawsuits, and forced exile.

In remarks to the media, the lead journalist on this investigation, Roberto Deniz, has stated that: “For us, the Alex Saab case has become something that literally changed the very existence of Armando Info as an independent investigative journalism project, but also our very lives. Both the founding editors of Armando.Info and I had to leave Venezuela in late 2017 and early 2018 because this man had threatened us and then sued us with a lawsuit he knew he could control due to all the power he held, claiming he had nothing to do with Maduro or the Venezuelan government’s food program—a claim we refuted with our reporting, and we continued our investigation in exile. Just one day before he was extradited from Cape Verde to the U.S. in 2021, my family’s home was raided, and I was charged with a new crime: incitement to hatred. That charge is still active; I have two arrest warrants in Venezuela. That is why I remain outside the country and why the media outlet’s executives and team remain in exile.

After 10 years of investigating, I believe the importance of seeing this man brought to justice is that there is still much to uncover. I think you would be surprised by the role Alex Saab played in Venezuela, and seeing him face justice brings us closer to that outcome—which is what matters. But this isn’t personal. When these episodes of the Saab telenovela unfold, many people ask me if I’m celebrating, but that’s not the point. Hopefully this time we won’t squander the opportunity to learn much more about what Alex Saab did, the routes the money took, and where that money is.”

"Just one day before he was extradited from Cape Verde to the U.S. in 2021, my family’s home was raided, and I was charged with a new crime: incitement to hatred. That charge is still active; I have two arrest warrants in Venezuela. That is why I remain outside the country and why the media outlet’s executives and team remain in exile."

Roberto Deniz

Lead Journalist

Multimedia & Sources:

External and Internal Network Impact

For more than a decade Armando.Info has been following the story into Alex Saab, exposing one of the most extensive corruption, kleptocracy, and money-laundering networks associated with the Venezuelan government. Through systematic reporting, the newsroom mapped a complex international web of shell companies, financial intermediaries, government officials, and commercial partners operating across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The investigation brought to light how public resources were diverted through transnational financial structures and sanctions-evasion schemes, providing journalists, prosecutors, policymakers, and anti-corruption organizations with critical information about the network’s scope and operations. The reporting catalyzed collaboration among regional and international media organizations, strengthened cross-border investigative journalism efforts, and contributed to broader scrutiny of corruption networks linked to authoritarian governance in Venezuela. By documenting hidden financial relationships and exposing actors connected to the scheme, Armando.Info helped expand public and institutional understanding of how illicit financial networks operate across jurisdictions. The continued investigation into the corruption case led by Armando.Info increased public awareness of Alex Saab’s role as a key financial operator for Nicolás Maduro’s government. Through detailed reporting, Armando.Info transformed what had been an obscure business figure into a widely recognized symbol of corruption and state-enabled financial misconduct. The reporting informed citizens, civil society groups, academics, and journalists across the board about the mechanisms through which public funds were allegedly diverted for private enrichment. The investigation became a reference point for public discussions regarding accountability, transparency, and justice in Venezuela.

External Individual Impact

Armando.Info’s reporting contributed to international scrutiny of Alex Saab and his business operations with tentacles in the international banking system, corruption network and kleptocracy in Venezuela. The outlet’s investigations provided documented evidence that informed broader discussions among law enforcement agencies, policymakers, anti-corruption organizations, and international observers examining corruption linked to the Venezuelan regime. The reporting also established a benchmark for investigative journalism in Latin America, demonstrating the role independent media can play in uncovering complex financial crimes and holding powerful actors accountable.

Internal Individual Impact

The investigation had profound consequences for the journalists part of the reporting team. Their work exposed them to legal retaliation, personal threats, forced displacement, and ongoing criminal charges. Investigative reporters like Roberto Deniz remain unable to return to Venezuela due to active arrest warrants related to the reporting on this case. At the same time, the investigation established the journalists as leading voices in investigative reporting and anti-corruption journalism in Latin America. Their persistence in pursuing the story over more than a decade demonstrated exceptional professional courage and a commitment to public-interest journalism despite significant personal and professional risks.

External Institutional Impact

The Alex Saab investigation fundamentally transformed Armando.Info as an organization. The reporting prompted legal harassment, intimidation, and political persecution that forced the organization’s founders, editors, and journalists into exile. Despite this, the newsroom continued reporting on the case from outside Venezuela. The investigation strengthened Armando.Info’s identity as a leading independent investigative journalism organization and reinforced its commitment to accountability reporting under hostile conditions. The case also elevated the outlet’s international profile, leading to greater recognition of its investigative work and its role as a model for journalism in exile.