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The government of Venezuela issued a statement saying it would halt negotiations with its opponents in retaliation for the deportation to the US of a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro who prosecutors believe could be the most significant witness ever about corruption in the South American country.  Jorge Rodríguez is heading the government’s delegation. He said his team wouldn’t travel to Mexico City for the next scheduled round of negotiations. The announcement capped a tumultuous day that saw businessman Alex Saab placed on a US-bound plane in Cape Verde after a 16-month fight by Maduro and his allies, including Russia, who consider the Colombian-born businessman a Venezuelan diplomat. A few hours after news of Saab’s extradition blew up Venezuelan social media, 6 American oil executives held on house arrest were taken back to jail by security forces.

It is a sign that relations between Washington and Caracas could be upended after months of quiet diplomacy since President Biden entered the White House. Families of the men known as the Citgo 6 for the Houston subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company where they worked; expressed frustration with both governments. Cristina Vadell said, “The fact that Saab is in the US before my father is a disgrace. This is additional proof that these Americans are held hostage in Venezuela, and President Biden’s administration needs to recognize this and win their release immediately”. However, Cristina Vadell’s father Tomeu Vadell is among the Americans serving out long sentences on what the US government considers trumped-up charges. Justice Department spokesperson Nicole Navas Oxman said that Saab is expected to make his initial appearance in court on Monday in Miami.

Oxman expressed gratitude and admiration to the government of Cabo Verde for its professionalism and perseverance with this complex case. Point to be noted that 49-years old Alex Saab was arrested in the African archipelago while making a stop on the way to Iran for what Maduro’s government later described as a diplomatic humanitarian mission that gives him immunity from prosecution. The Maduro government issued a statement and said, “The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela deplores this serious violation against the human rights of a Venezuelan citizen, who is invested as a diplomat and as a representative of our country to the world. This fact sets a dangerous precedent for international law”. Government opponents, including opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who the US recognizes as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, celebrated the prospect of soon seeing one of Maduro’s top insiders behind bars.