Venezuela's government announced Saturday it has deported Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and former close ally of ousted President Nicolás Maduro, to the United States to face judicial proceedings. The decision comes less than three years after Saab was pardoned by President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner exchange.

The Venezuelan immigration authority said in a brief statement that the deportation was based on several ongoing criminal investigations in the United States, referring to Saab only as a "Colombian citizen." The reference may reflect Venezuelan law, which prohibits the extradition of its own nationals.

Saab, 54, had previously been arrested internationally in 2020, with Maduro fighting extensively for his return. At the time, Venezuelan officials claimed Saab was a diplomat who had been illegally detained during a refueling stop while en route to Iran for a humanitarian mission. U.S. officials have long described Saab as Maduro's "bag man."

Federal prosecutors have been investigating Saab's alleged role in a bribery conspiracy involving Venezuelan government contracts to import food, according to reports. The investigation stems from a 2021 case involving Saab's longtime partner, Alvaro Pulido, and centers on the CLAP program that provided food staples to poor Venezuelans during economic crisis.

Saab amassed wealth through Venezuelan government contracts but fell out of favor following Maduro's ouster in January. Since the new leadership under acting President Delcy Rodríguez took power, Saab was reportedly demoted, fired from the Cabinet, and stripped of his role as a conduit for foreign investment. There had been conflicting reports about whether he was imprisoned or under house arrest in recent months.