After months of negotiations mediated by Qatar, in which senior White House officials and representatives of Nicolas Maduro participated, the Biden administration reached an agreement to secure the release of a group of Americans and Venezuelans detained in Venezuela. The extradition of the notorious fugitive known as “Fat Leonard” stands out as the main achievement, while Biden granted clemency to Alex Saab, a Maduro ally who was arrested in 2020 on a US warrant for money laundering.
We have achieved the release of all Americans detained in Venezuela. [Están] homeward bound. So far, Venezuela maintains its commitment to democratic elections; This is not over yet. They have made detailed commitments. We'll see if they comply. But we will hold them accountable.”
As mentioned, the diplomatic agreement also includes the extradition of Leonard Francis, or Fat Leonard, to a federal detention center in the United States. A Malaysian defense contractor pleaded guilty to bribing US Navy officials. Francis will await sentencing for his actions, which several officials have described as “one of the most brazen bribery conspiracies in the history of the U.S. Navy.”
According to the Biden administration, the agreement led to the release of six Americans unjustly detained in Venezuela, four Americans detained in the country, and 21 Venezuelan prisoners (including Roberto Abdul, the opposition leader who was arrested this month on treason charges). Likewise, Maduro's government also agreed to suspend arrest warrants for three other Venezuelans.
According to Biden officials, the release of Venezuelan prisoners was insisted on because of the “Barbados Agreement,” which was negotiated by several European and regional leaders in order to “pave the way for fair elections in Venezuela in 2024.” But although the United States has supported these efforts in multiple ways, such as temporarily lifting sanctions on oil exports, the Venezuelan president has broken some commitments. For example, Maduro was supposed to release political prisoners and unjustly detained Americans by November 30.
Currently, Biden realizes that he faces internal challenges to maintain a balance between relations with Venezuela and the simultaneous imposition of sanctions, although this prisoner exchange agreement has highlighted great negotiating capacity in a challenging scenario.
You may be interested in: The United States reviews its sanctions on Venezuela: Concern for American political detainees and prisoners
